Manic Monday: Panic Disorder
I have recently started suffering from panic attacks so while researching information, I uncovered some things about panic disorders that I thought would be worth sharing here on Chronic Health Blog. I have had two episodes over the past few weeks that have left me in fear to have children or visitors in my home and I’m also afraid to go anywhere else because of this. I started having panic attacks due to noise levels from children in my house and in relatives’ houses. I have found myself unable to stay in the house or have the intense urge to run away when I can’t handle the sounds any longer. I wrote about my recent experiences with panic attacks today on Fighting Fatigue.
What Is Panic Disorder?
Panic disorder is when people experience spontaneous, out-of-the-blue panic attacks, and are preoccupied with the fear of a recurring attack. Panic attacks occur unexpectedly and can even occur during sleep.
A panic attack is defined as the abrupt onset of intense fear that reaches a peak within a few minutes and includes at least four of the following symptoms:
- A need to escape
- A feeling of doom
- Sweating
- Heart palpitations
- Trembling
- Shortness of breath
- Choking feeling
- Chest pain/discomfort
- Dizziness/lightheadedness
- A fear of losing control or going crazy
- A sense that things aren’t real
- Chills
- Heat flush
- A fear of dying
Symptoms of panic disorder can mimic serious illnesses such as heart disease, thyroid problems, and breathing disorders. Because of this, diagnosing panic disorder may be a long process and many trips to the emergency room and/or doctor’s office may be made before finding out what’s wrong.
It is common for panic disorder to develop during early adulthood and is three times more likely to occur in women than men. Approximately one out of 75 people will experience a panic attack at some point in their life. Having panic disorder is usually found in conjunction with another physical or mental illness the patient suffers from.
How Is Panic Disorder Treated?
Panic disorder is usually treated using a combination of therapies: psychiatric, cognitive and medication. Anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medications are typically used to treat panic disorder. Cognitive behavior treatments are used also to help a patient deal with what is happening to them and how to take control of it.
1 CommentComments RSS TrackBack Identifier URI
Leave a comment
[…] Manic Monday: Panic Disorders I Love Social BookmarkingSubscribeDiggdel.icio.usRedditStumbleUponTechnorati […]