Panic Disorders

Panic Disorders

Anxiety is a general term to describe a state of worry, uneasiness, or apprehension. Everyone has some level of anxiety. The point in which they need to worry is when that anxiety becomes overwhelming and debilitating for that is when it becomes an anxiety disorder. In the United States anxiety disorders are more common than any other psychological problem. We live in a world full of stress that seems to haunt us at every turn. Financial pressures, job pressures, and terrorism are all contributing factors to an underlying sense of anxiety. Even though most people can find a way to deal with anxiety, some individuals experience it to an extreme, and develop anxiety disorders. Everyone experiences anxiety to some extent; it is a fact of life. We need some level of anxiety in our lives; it helps us to get to an appointment on time or to finish a project at work. The concern lies when we have too much anxiety in our lives and it begins to cause problems.(Arden, J. B. Ph.D. 2009)

Panic disorders affect about 2% of the population, are harmless, and last roughly a few minutes. They are considered to be unexpected anxiety attacks. Those who experience a panic attack can experience episodes of dizziness and shortness of breath, associated with chest pains, heart palpitations, headaches, and uncontrollable trembling.(Panic 1996)

During the episodes the world seems strange and unreal and a person has an impending sense of doom. Other symptoms that are associated with panic attack can involve palpitation or pounding heart, heavy breathing, sweating, trembling, chest pain, nausea, dizziness, numbness and tingling in the hands and feet, chills, hot flashes, nausea, choking sensations, a sense of unreality, or a fear of collapsing, dying, or becoming insane, breathlessness, rapid heartbeat, and fears of impending death, loss of self-control. Women seem to be affected more than men and typically develop the disorder in early adulthood and the disorder is treated with drugs, cognitive-behavior therapy, or both. Many theorists believe panic disorder is a "fear-of-fear." Everyday people are faced with situations that may not be obvious to figure out. The process to interpret these situations can cause anxiety and lead to a panic disorder and patients are troubled with distressing thoughts.(McNally, R. J. 1994)

Experts agree that panic is a distinct condition with a severe form of ordinary fear or anxiety. Panic attacks are fear or discomfort that has a sudden onset and mount to high intensity in 10 minutes or less. On average, patients who experience panic attacks, made 37 medical visits a year. Roughly half of the patients with panic disorder also experience major depression and suffer from alcoholism.(Panic 1996)

Everyone has a fear or two that may disrupt our equilibrium from time to time. There needs to be a concern when those fears turn to phobias. Phobias damage personal relationships, interfere with work, and lead to physical and psychological illness. Phobias occur twice as frequently in women than men and are the most common mental disorder in America for women. There needs to be a distinction between fear and phobias. People usually outgrow their fears as they mature with a few possibly lingering throughout life and they usually do not keep us from functioning. Phobias are fears taken to the extreme and are usually provoked by a specific object, activity, or situation. People with phobias can recognize that their fears are excessive or unreasonable but they cannot suppress them and try to cope by avoiding the phobic stimulus. Close relationships are strained and lead to further psychological problems such as substance abuse.(Phobias 1995)

Because no two people are alike they experience anxiety in different ways and at different levels of severity. These characteristics are classified into a variety of anxiety disorders by mental health professionals. When a panic attack occurs as the sole symptom of anxiety it is diagnosed as a panic disorder. This disorder can last for many years causing personal distress and impair functioning in everyday life. At one point in their life five percent of women will experience