Rapid heartbeat, chest tightness, panic attacks, difficulty breathing …… but went to the hospital for various heart tests and nothing is wrong! What kind of disease is this? Huang Xingbing, chief physician of Guangzhou Brain Hospital and master tutor of Sun Yat-sen University, told reporters that such patients suffer from “anxiety disorder”, which belongs to the mental illness. But because the patient shows symptoms similar to heart disease, many patients will choose emergency or cardiology consultation, delaying the real time to receive treatment. He reminds that patients suffering from anxiety disorders should seek prompt medical attention and active treatment. ”Patients with anxiety disorders often present with panic disorder at the onset, including sudden attacks, panic attacks, difficulty breathing, chest tightness, rapid heartbeat and profuse sweating, much like the onset of a heart attack. Some patients or family members will call the 120 emergency number and be transported to the hospital by ambulance. In general, patients with anxiety disorders have more frequent attacks and can even have more than 3 attacks per month. Because the signs are so much like heart disease, the emergency department often mistakes them for heart disease and conducts tests, but both ECG, blood work and cardiac ultrasound are normal. They tend to peak 10 minutes after the onset of the disease, but can resolve on their own after 20 to 30 minutes, or at most an hour, and are no different from normal people after remission. Heart conditions such as angina and myocardial infarction, on the other hand, require medication for remission. ”The cause of anxiety disorders is still unclear, and it is different again from another mental illness, phobia, which does not have a clear object of anxiety or cause of anxiety, the patient just widely feels worried, afraid and nervous. Our understanding now is that a certain part of the patient’s brain becomes overactive. Also, genetics, personality and environment are different predisposing factors. In China, the prevalence of anxiety disorders is about 0.4%-2.9%, accounting for about 10% of the total number of patients in Guangzhou Brain Hospital, and it is a common disease, only that many people do not realize they are ill due to the low recognition rate. In the onset of the disease, the proportion of middle-aged and young women is higher. However, because this disease is a psychiatric disease, patients are often reluctant to seek medical treatment for fear of discrimination, or some patients insist that they are suffering from heart disease and refuse to go to a psychiatric specialist. It usually takes more than a year for patients to go to a psychiatric clinic from the time they become ill, often leading to delays.” Anxiety disorders are not incurable. As with other psychiatric disorders, treatment of anxiety disorders involves the use of psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy. “Psychotherapy includes cognitive behavioral therapy, such as reshaping the patient’s judgment, ability to evaluate and exaggerate and distort negative judgments about things. We will relax the patient with certain relaxation training and relaxation therapy, and also inform them that the disorder can be cured and unload their psychological stress. In terms of medication, we usually apply antidepressants, which also contain anti-anxiety effects. With continuous treatment with antidepressants and psychotherapy after a period of consolidation, one third of patients do not relapse after six months of treatment. Of course, the effectiveness of treatment depends on the patient’s personality, whether there is a combination of other mental illnesses and heart disease. If two or more mental illnesses are combined, or if the patient has heart disease, the treatment effect is relatively less good.” At the same time, Huang Xingbing reminded hospitals to strengthen the screening of emergency department doctors for psychiatric illnesses, which can be of great benefit to patients in seeking early medical care and obtaining treatment. “Whether or not the disease, do not discriminate against this type of disease, the attack is very serious, but after remission will not affect normal work or study, treatment is also generally through outpatient, regular follow-up can be, only the combination of other diseases, more complex cases need hospitalization.”