A while back I blogged about the links between anxiety and dizziness and how more often than not the two seem to go together: people experiencing dizziness as part of an anxiety attack or a panic attack.
Today I want to look at dizziness and vertigo as potential causes of anxiety and panic disorder – things like agoraphobia. It has often been said that stress and anxiety can bring on what is often referred to as giddiness, dizziness, light-headedness and vertigo. The reason being that blood is diverted to the muscles, the oxygen balance in the blood changes. This is perhaps true however it doesn’t tell the whole story.
The fight or flight response is meant to save us, but why did we evolve to disable our balance mechanism when poise and stability is needed most, when we are in danger? That begs a question along the lines of the chicken and the egg: what comes first dizziness or anxiety/panic?
For sure anxiety or a big shock can bring on balance problems like vertigo, often very short sharp bouts. However I think, and there is a certain amount of scientific evidence to back this up, that there are a lot of people with panic disorder who actually have an underlying balance problem.
If you into a supermarket and feel funny, maybe get derealization or feel dizzy or lightheaded the doctor will no doubt send you to a psychologist that will tell you that your subconscious doesn’t like being out of control and in a supermarket there is no easy way of escape. Maybe this is rubbish. Maybe the lighting and long aisles of a supermarket make it such a strange environment that the signal from ear and eye get somewhat out of sync in people with a slightly defective vestibular system. Maybe that is what causes the panic like symptoms and leads for the desire for an easy escape route.
If you think about it, the agoraphobics’ worst nightmares are all places that tend to be unnatural and odd and somewhat disorientating: supermarkets, shopping malls, motorways and highways: all places that could cause strange feelings in a person with a vestibular balance problems.
Also read Does Anxiety Cause Dizziness?
This is potentially important because in such cases your psychologist or charlatan hypnoanalyst will be telling you your neighbor sexually abused you. In fact there are types of vestibular rehabilitation and other physio techniques, as well as drugs, that might well help.
If your anxiety seems heavily related to dizziness or vertigo, or you experience balance problems elsewhere in life it might well be worth looking into.
my name is Bert. I am a wm 43 yrs. of age. I have suffered from dizziness since I was a child at least 10 yrs old I could remember being dizzy! This problem being left un treated has taken away at least 3 years of my life altogether and made it a living hell! To all of you out there this is a serious problem that must be taken care of cause the more YOU keep walking around in denial that there is something realy wrong with you the worse things’ are going to be down the road trust me. I done just that myself! For the last 20 years’ I always’ blamed my total dizziness problem on my epilepsy medication which my otologist at emory university, atlanta, ga. said it could take about 35% of the blame. After a couple of visits’ to dr. ron tusa. I realized that there are more things’ involved that are contributing to my dizziness problem. Dont wait till something major and very DRASTIC happen’s to YOU, I say this cause I done just that, Back in march,2010. I just got out of my car and was going into the bank to make a deposit i never made it inside the bank, cause all of sudden I turned very dizzy and EVERYTHING went BLACK, ALL I remember is waking up with blood all over me and a big piece of my ear gone whear i fell up against the bank’s stucko wall. I got 12 memorable scars’ all over my body to make me come to realize that this is something that is no joke and a problem that must be taken care of. I wrote this cause I dont want you to be the next victim of this evil problem. bye now. take care bert.
Hi Bert,
Vertigo is not something to be taken lightly. I had a vestibular neuronitis 10 years ago and just a year ago decompensated, again. I ended up being sent to a neurological optomotrist who found I had a visual midline shift to the right, which is why regular balance exercises, etc. couldn’t help. I now have prisms in my glasses and am going through vision therapy. It has helped a lot over the last two months. Good luck. cindy
hi Bert i understand where ur coming from over the last 6 yrs i have sufferd with vertigo … but im very strong willed but it dosent make a bit of difference …. it comes and goes … My last episode was a mild one thank god although ive had it extreem … But recencently im getting to the stage where even though im not suffering wth my Vertigo …. going in Supermarkets is a big deal … even though i walk into one and not think about it by the time ive got down the second isle im freaking out … telling myself im ok …but i know im now i carnt look around as i believe im going to pass out …I jst wounderd if you had this happen to u Bert .. Hope yr ok at the min x
I believe its the lighting in them ie asda .. morrisons etc x
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