Audio anxiety attack?

If you have anxiety, is it possible to get the chest pain without the attack?

• I'm 16. For the past 3 months I've had slight anxiety and annoying chest pain, even though the pain came about 3 weeks before I noticed any symptom of anxiety. I don't have full blown anxiety attacks, it's just on and off every couple of days I feel kind of weird and get anxious, and scared for no reason, I also get scared easily (startled). But basically yeah, I've had chest pain in the left side of my chest, and sometimes (rarely) the right side. It isn't that painful at all, and is sometimes shooting, sometimes a dull ache, and it comes and goes throughout the day. I honestly don't think it has anything to do with the anxiety, and here's why: 3 weeks before the anxiety came on, I got the chest pain. I had no previous mental illnesses, traumas etc. And when the anxiety first came on, it was mainly obcessive thoughts about whether I was having a heart attack etc. (stupid, I know.) I saw a doctor and he said it wasn't a heart related thing, had an ECG and he said my heart was brilliant condition. I tried ibuprofen gel, it doesn't really work that much. I haven't tried anti-acid reflux things because I'm quite sure that's not what it is. It's like underneath my left nipple and goes round under my armpit sometimes. So basically I think the anxiety has only come on because I am worried about the chest pain, so it wasn't the cause of it. I'm SURE. It's not costochondritis, or a pulled muscle. I don't work out or anything, but I'm pretty fookin healthy. PLEASE list all the causes of chest pain in teenagers that you know of. I'm so so annoyed... Thanks

• Answer:

  You don't have to have full-blown anxiety attacks to have chest pain. And I think your startle response is getting your adrenaline spiking. Yes, that can cause chest pain and makes sense after reading everything that you have written. http://helpguide.org/mental/generalized_anxiety_disorder.htm It would make sense at this point to ask for a referral to a psychiatrist rather than a psychologist since your primary manifestation is physical pain. You can be having anxiety issues without even being aware that you are. Since you had a physical exam for cardio-vascular issues, I am going to assume that you had a pulmonary exam as well. You can also read an article about chest pain in teens to see chest wall pain caused by pericarditis, myocarditis, arrhythmias, coronary artery blockage, all of which should have been observed during your recent medical exam. http://www.chop.edu/service/cardiac-center/heart-conditions/chest-pain-in-children-and-teenagers.html I know that I didn't mention heartburn but that is a questionable possibility and you yourself have some doubts. You can try a few antacids to see if they help. If you are trying to treat the pain, you aren't going to be successful. In your case you need to treat the cause. So it is time to get a mental health opinion. http://www.tandemjourney.org/Page.asp?NavID=4