What is panic disorder?
Panic disorder is a serious condition that strikes without warning. It is different from the usual fear and anxiety reactions to stressful situations. Panic disorder is accompanied by a number of symptoms, including sudden attacks of fear and nervousness, sweating, and a racing heart. The fear response as a result of a panic attack is out of proportion for the situation at hand, which is, in most cases, not threatening, click here for more information on different panic attack symptoms and how you can tackle such attacks. A person with panic disorder will over time develop a constant fear of having another panic attack, which can affect his or her life negatively.
Causes of panic disorder
The exact cause of the panic disorder is not fully known. However, research findings show that the condition can result from a combination of factors, including environmental and biological factors. Other factors that may lead to this condition include the following:
–Abnormalities in the brain
Problems in regulating brain areas that control the ‘fight or flight’ response may lead to panic disorder.
–Experiencing major stress in life
Major life transitions, including the death of a loved one, or stressful events in your life can trigger panic attacks. These types of panic attacks can potentially recur, becoming a panic disorder.
–Family history
It has been shown that panic disorder can sometimes run in families. The condition can be passed on to the offspring by one or both parents.
-Substance abuse
Substance abuse, including alcohol and drugs abuse, has been shown to contribute to panic disorder.
Panic attack symptoms!
Symptoms of a panic attack usually last for about ten minutes. They can be divided into two categories: Physical symptoms and emotional symptoms.
Physical symptoms:
These include the following:
-Increased blood pressure,
-Excessive sweating,
-Chest pain,
-Shaking,
-Accelerated heart rate,
-Muscle contractions,
-Nausea,
-Inability to sleep,
-Difficulty breathing,
-Feeling exhausted.
-Dizziness or feeling faint,
-Numbness or tingling in the fingers or toes,
-Hot flashes or chills,
Emotional symptoms
These include the following:
-Feeling of tension,
-Inability to focus,
-Getting easily annoyed,
-Failure to relax,
-A fear that you are about to die or are losing control,
-Absentmindedness,
-Expecting danger,
A major symptom of panic disorder is the constant fear of having future panic attacks. This type of fear may cause you to avoid situations and places where an attack has occurred, or where you have a reason to believe an attack may occur.
How can the panic disorder be treated?
A combination of therapies can be used to treat panic disorder, including the following:
-Psychotherapy:
This is a type of counseling that deals with an emotional response to mental illness.
-Relaxation techniques, such as yoga,
-Cognitive-behavioral therapy:
This refers to a type of psychotherapy that can help you learn to recognize and change your thought patterns as well as behaviors that caused the troublesome feeling.
– Medications:
Your doctor can prescribe anti-depressant drugs and anti-anxiety medications. In addition, heart medications are sometimes used to help with anxiety.