Do You Have A Panic Disorder?

You’ll never meet a person who's got no worries or fears. Everyone suffers from anxiety or fear at point or another. It is perfectly human to get stressed out at times, especially when you are in some kind of danger.

Panic disorder is a condition in which you have recurring and regular panic attacks without any obvious reason or trigger. The body of a person who is having a panic attack experiences intense psychological and physical symptoms. During panic attacks, the patient’s fear response to non-threatening situations is completely out of proportion. That is to say, many people who suffer from panic attacks literally feel like they're dying, without having any idea why.

A patient who suffers from panic disorder can have several panic attacks per day, but some also only experience a few attacks per year. The panic attacks characteristic of panic disorder are different from panic attacks in other anxiety disorders, as they take place without any discernible predictable precipitant.

Apart from panic attacks, a panic disorder is characterized by persistent fear of another attack (that is, the fear of a panic attack can actually induce one). According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, panic disorder leads to panic attacks associated with more than 1 month of subsequent persistent worry about:

(1) having another panic attack,

(2) the possible consequences of the panic attack, or

(3) significant behavioral changes related to the attack.

Women are twice as likely to suffer from panic disorder compared to men. Although a person of any age, including a child, can suffer from this condition, it is more commonly seen after the age of twenty. It is believed that around 2.4 million adults in America suffer from panic disorder. In the UK, meanwhile, one in every 100 persons has this problem.

What causes panic disorder?

Although it is difficult to pinpoint the exact reason behind panic disorders, several biological and environmental factors have been shown to raise the risk of this debilitating mental disorder. Here's a closer look at the risk factors.

Heredity 

Studies have shown that panic disorder runs in families. If either of your parents is suffers from this condition, your risk of developing it at some point in your life is much higher. In case of identical twins, the chances of one of the twins developing panic disorder are 40 percent in case the other twin is also suffering from the condition. This does not necessarily mean genetic factors are to blame, however, as environmental factors could also explain this familial link.

Substance abuse

Panic disorder is common in people who abuse drugs or alcohol. Correlation does not necessarily mean causation; while alcohol abuse may worsen panic disorder, it's also likely that people who suffer from panic attacks may turn to alcohol or drugs to self-medicate. While this is not an effective treatment at all, it is understandable. If you suffer from panic attacks, seek medical treatment!

Stressful situations 

Particularly stressful conditions, like the death of a close relative can precipitate panic disorder in susceptible individuals.

Although the above mentioned factors increase the risk of panic disorder, many a time people may develop this problem without any apparent reason.

Symptoms Of Panic Disorder

A panic attack usually begins quite suddenly and peaks within 10 to 15 minutes. According to the DSM, the patient’s condition is can be diagnosed as panic disorder if he or she experiences intense fear accompanied by at least four of the thirteen symptoms enlisted below.

• Palpitations or increased heart rate

• Sweating

• Trembling

• Choking sensation

• Tightness around chest or suffocation- this symptom can mimic a heart attack

• Nausea

• Feeling dizzy as if about to faint

• Feeling detached from oneself

• Fear of losing control

• Fear of dying

• Numbness or tingling sensation in various body parts, particularly the digits

• Chills or hot flashes

The presence of these symptoms and the exclusion of any other Somatic disease or psychiatric disorder, confirms the diagnosis of panic disorder. Apart from these symptoms, the patient may complain that they suffer from headaches, insomnia, hands going cold, and other related physical symptoms that are linked to the severe anxiety seen in panic disorder. Agoraphobia, a condition in which a person has anxiety towards places or situations from which escape may be difficult, may also accompany panic disorder in many patients.

A list of questions to help you determine if you suffer from panic disorder

The Anxiety Disorders Association of America has formulated a list of questions which may help a person to determine if he is suffering from panic disorder.

These questions are:

• Do you suffer from attacks of severe nervousness without any apparent reason?

• During such attacks, do you suffer from at least four of the symptoms enlisted by DSM-IV-TR?

• Do you suffer from agoraphobia?

• Do you fear traveling alone?

• Following an attack, do you worry about certain things mentioned below, for at least a month:
• • You are concerned about suffering from another attack.
  • You have apprehension that you are going crazy.
  • There is a need for you to change your behavior because of your nervous attacks.

As a person who has panic disorder lives in constant fear of suffering from another such attack, his daily functioning and quality of life is affected. Panic disorder can create havoc in a person’s life. His relationships, his life at workplace, and his normal development are affected. As he begins to avoid meeting people and going to certain places because of the fear that it may precipitate another attack, his social life also suffers.

Treatment for panic disorder

The main aim of therapy for panic disorder is to reduce the number and severity of the attacks. The treatment of panic disorder encompasses psychotherapy, behavioral therapy, medications and relaxation techniques.

Psychotherapy

Trained mental health professionals counsel the patient to understand the condition and help them develop strategies to deal with it.

Behavioral therapy

It helps the patient to identify the factors which trigger panic attack in him. He is also taught to modify his thought processes and behavior in a manner that such panic attacks can be avoided.

Medications

Medicines used in the treatment of panic disorders usually include anti-depressant medicines and anxiolytic drugs. There are times when the patient may require medicines like beta blockers to counter the severe palpitations that accompany a panic attack.

Relaxation techniques

Several relaxation techniques like breathing retraining and positive visualization are included in the treatment of panic disorder in order to achieve better control over the attacks. These techniques are also effective in preventing panic attacks altogether.

Steps to prevent panic attacks

Although it is difficult to predict who will suffer from panic disorder, one can take certain steps to cut down the stress in his day to day life. These steps include:

• Reduce consumption of products containing caffeine like coffee, carbonated drinks, tea and chocolates.

• Make exercise an essential part of your daily routine.

• Eat a healthy diet.

• Avoid alcohol and drug abuse