Panic Attack
A
Panic Attack is defined as the abrupt onset of an
episode of intense fear or discomfort, which peaks
in approximately 10 minutes, and includes at least
four of the following symptoms:
- a
feeling of imminent danger or doom;
- the
need to escape;
- palpitations;
- sweating;
- trembling;
- shortness
of breath or a smothering feeling;
- a
feeling of choking;
- chest
pain or discomfort;
- nausea
or abdominal discomfort;
- dizziness
or lightheadedness;
- a
sense of things being unreal, depersonalization;
- a
fear of losing control or "going crazy";
- a
fear of dying;
- tingling
sensations;
-
chills or hot flushes.
|
|
There
are three types of Panic Attacks:
1. Unexpected - the attack "comes out of the blue"
without warning and for no discernable reason.
2. Situational - situations in which an individual always
has an attack, for example, upon entering a tunnel.
3. Situationally Predisoposed - situations in which
an individual is likely to have a Panic Attack, but
does not always have one. An example of this would be
an individual who sometimes has attacks while driving.
Panic Disorder
Panic
Disorder is diagnosed when an individual suffers at
least two unexpected Panic Attacks, followed by at least
1 month of concern over having another attack. Sufferers
are also prone to situationally predisposed attacks.
The frequency and severity of the attacks varies from
person to person, an individual might suffer from repeated
attacks for weeks, while another will have short bursts
of very severe attacks. The sufferer often worries about
the physical and emotional consequences of the Panic
Attacks. Many become convinced that the attacks indicate
an undiagnosed illness and will submit to frequent medical
tests. Even after tests come back negative, a person
with Panic Disorder will remain worried that they have
a physical illness. Some individuals will change their
behavioral patterns, avoiding the scene of a previous
attack for example, in the hopes of preventing having
another attack.
Agoraphobia
Agoraphobia
often, but not always, coincides with Panic Disorder.
Agoraphobia is characterized by a fear of having a panic
attack in a place from which escape is difficult. Many
sufferers refuse to leave their homes, often for years
at a time. Others develop a fixed route, or territory,
from which they cannot deviate, for example the route
between home and work. It becomes impossible for these
people to travel beyond what they consider to be their
safety zones without suffering severe anxiety.
The
age of onset of Panic Disorder varies from late adolescence
to mid-thirties. Relatively few suffer from the disorder
in childhood.
Take
a Panic Disorder Self-Test
Find a Treatment Provider
Facing
Panic- An
ADAA