Panic and Anxiety Disorder
Do you suffer from severe episodes of anxiety and panic for no apparent reason? Do these attacks make you feel as if you’re having a heart attack as a sudden impending sense of death engulfs you? If the answer is yes then it is probable that you are suffering from panic and anxiety disorder. This is in no way out of the ordinary – studies have shown that in a group of twenty people, at least seven will have experienced the exact same symptoms described above.
Anxiety Disorders
There are five main anxiety disorders and panic plays quite a significant part. Sufferers can experience more than one disorder at the same time:
Generalized Anxiety Disorder is, as the name implies, a constant, generalized anxiety or worry brought on by raised levels of anxiety in a certain part of the brain called the Amygdala which is meant to help the body process and remember emotional reactions. The disorder is usually brought on when life circumstances prove to be constantly stressful, such as divorce or bereavement.
Social Anxiety and Phobias – this is probably the most common category of anxiety disorder. Many people suffer from a fear of interaction with others and experience panic attacks when such a situation occurs.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) happens when a person finds themselves or someone near to them in a potentially life-threatening position e.g. a soldier returning from the theater of war. Again panic attacks play a major part and sometimes a sufferer can become depressed.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is probably the only anxiety disorder that doesn’t usually involve panic yet it is still disrupts a person’s way of life. A sufferer develops an obsession over a person, object or activity (e.g. washing their hands) and they are driven to repeat their behavior even though they know it is not appropriate.
The fifth type is, of course, panic disorder which in itself may be categorized into three types of panic attack: Spontaneous attacks which are random and come about quickly, specific attacks which are habitual, and situational attacks which occur in specific situations.
Some may only experience one attack in their lives. Something that happens out of the blue and has all the terror and anxiety usually associated with panic attacks but then never undergo another one again. Others, however, have repeated episodes and this may then be diagnosed as panic disorder.
Panic disorder is the most treatable of the anxiety disorders but many people go years before they are diagnosed. If not treated it can lead to other serious conditions such as depression, alcoholism or drug abuse as the sufferer feels they are on a downward spiral. About a third of sufferers develop other phobias such as agoraphobia and their quality of life is dramatically reduced. Therefore, it is far better to seek and receive treatment before the problem exponentially escalates out of control.
It is good to remember that if you do experience any of the above, you are not alone and help is readily to hand. Ask for professional help and then start the road to recovery.
