A Walkthrough Guide To Panic Disorder

Feelings of anxiousness and nervousness are a normal part of life for the vast majority of the population. Situations that commonly elicit these feelings include making a significant decision, an important presentation at work or test at school, or waiting for news from the doctor’s office. However, those who suffer from an anxiety disorder experience more anxiety with these situations as well as many others. Additionally, the anxiety tends to stick around and may even worsen over time. It may also begin to interfere with the individual’s daily routine. There are a few different types of anxiety disorders, including generalized anxiety and panic disorder. As panic disorder tends to be the least talked about of the different types of anxiety disorders, things can get out of hand quite quickly.

What Are Panic Attacks?

The most common and iconic symptom of panic disorder is panic attacks. A panic attack is more than just feeling anxious or worried for a little while. It is the sudden, intense feeling of fear or discomfort, often referred to as ‘panic.’ A panic attack will include a minimum of four of these signs, including sweating, trembling, chest pain, a pounding heart, shortness of breath, feeling of choking, chills, and hot flashes. Further signs include an upset stomach (nausea), dizziness, lightheadedness, numbness, feeling of no control, tingling, fear of dying and feeling detached.

While the length of a panic attack varies based on the individual case, they typically start suddenly and peak within ten minutes. The peak itself lasts between five to ten minutes before the symptoms of the panic attack begin to lessen, although it can take quite some time for the symptoms to disappear altogether.

When Panic Attacks Become Panic Disorder

Though it might surprise many, panic attacks are quite common. They often appear during periods of significant stress or when an individual is overtired. Panic attacks only develop into panic disorder if the individual experiencing them becomes significantly worried about experiencing more attacks, or if something terrible will occur due to a panic attack. Common examples of this include worrying about fainting, embarrassment, going crazy, having a heart attack, or even dying.

Another critical factor differentiating panic attacks from full panic disorder is the fact that attacks of panic disorder are unpredictable. The patient does not know they are coming until they happen. However, someone who has an intense fear, such as of spiders, is often able to predict a panic attack when they encounter the object of their intense fear. In these instances, the individual is not afraid of the panic attack, but of the thing that caused the attack to happen. In panic disorder, the fear is the panic attack.