Panic disorder is a real illness that can be successfully treated. It is characterized by sudden attacks of terror, usually accompanied by a pounding heart, sweatiness, weakness, faintness, or dizziness. During these attacks, people with panic disorder may flush or feel chilled; their hands may tingle or feel numb; and they may experience nausea, chest pain, or smothering sensations. Panic attacks usually produce a sense of unreality, a fear of impending doom, or a fear of losing control.
A fear of one's own unexplained physical symptoms is also a symptom of panic disorder. People having panic attacks sometimes believe they are having heart attacks, losing their minds, or on the verge of death. They can't predict when or where an attack will occur, and between episodes many worry intensely and dread the next attack.
STATISTICSPanic attacks can occur at any time, even during sleep. An attack usually peaks within 10 minutes, but some symptoms may last much longer. Panic disorder affects about 6 million American adults1 and is twice as common in women as men. Panic attacks often begin in late adolescence or early adulthood, but not everyone who experiences panic attacks will develop panic disorder. Many people have just one attack and never have another. The tendency to develop panic attacks appears to be inherited.
SYMPTOMSA person with panic disorder experiences recurrent unexpected Panic Attacks and at least one of the attacks has been followed by 1 month (or more) of one or more of the following:
Persistent concern about having additional attacks
Worry about the implications of the attack or its consequences (e.g., losing control, having a heart attack, "going crazy")
A significant change in behavior related to the attacks
When a panic attack strikes, most people feel heart pounding and report feeling sweaty, weak, faint, or dizzy. Hands may tingle or feel numb, and there might be a flushed or chilled sensation. Some people have chest pain or smothering sensations, a sense of unreality, or fear of impending doom or loss of control, and genuinely believe they’re having a heart attack or stroke, losing their minds, or on the verge of death. Attacks can occur any time, even during non dream sleep. While most attacks average a couple of minutes, occasionally they can go on for up to 10 minutes. In rare cases, they may last an hour or more.
When a person has repeated panic attacks and feels severe anxiety about having another attack, he or she has panic disorder. Panic disorder tends to worsen over time if not effectively treated. To differentiate panic disorder from other medically important conditions, the patient should have a thorough physical examination.
TREATMENTPanic disorder is one of the most treatable of all the anxiety disorders, responding in most cases to certain kinds of medication or certain kinds of cognitive psychotherapy, which help change thinking patterns that lead to fear and anxiety.
When medication is needed, the most commonly-prescribed class of drugs for panic disorders are the benzodiazepines (such as clonazepam and alprazolam) and the SSRI or SNRI antidepressants. It is rarely appropriate to provide medication treatment alone, without the use of psychotherapy to help educate and change the patient's behaviors related to their association of certain physiological sensations with fear.
Call us Now 1-877-77-TRIAL(87425)