Description of Panic Disorder Everyone at some point have experience fear due to a situation that overwhelms us. This is an essential response of our bodies that can help us survive. However, when these fears are constant, they can disable an individual. Panic disorder (PD) it’s a mental illness that leads a person to have recurring panic attacks, (Strickland, 2001). Panic attacks in people with PD arise unexpectedly, situationally predisposed and / or by situations that remind them experienced dreadful events. PD can be categorized under two types: PD with or without agoraphobia. Agoraphobia is the fear of being in a situation or place in which the person thinks that would be difficult or embarrassing to escape. Some individuals develop agoraphobia after the first episodes of panic attacks; others acquire it years later, (Key, 2012). PD usually emerges during the early to mid-twenty years of age and can affect any person regardless of their ethnicity. Still, the condition usually manifests more in certain groups. Women are two times more likely to develop PD than men. In males, African Americans are more prone to develop this disorder than Hispanics or Whites, (Key, 2012). Young people (18 to 21 years old) are three times more prone to have panic attacks if in addition have psychoticism (antisocial traits as cruelty and rejection of societal norms). This group regularly develops other mental disorders (depression and social phobias) and bad habits (alcohol or drug dependency) that aggravate PD, (Goodwin, Fergusson, & Horwood, 2004). The impact of PD in veterans is usually greater than in any other group. About 2.7% of individuals in a given year will suffer from PD, with occurrence rates of 6.1% to 8.3% among veterans, (Barre... ... middle of paper ... ...hiatry, 54(3), 256-261. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.comppsych.2012.09.001 Choy, Y. (2008). Treatment planning for panic disorder: Evidence-based treatments. Psychiatric Times, 25(2), 40-44,46. Retrieved July 4, 2014 from http://search.proquest.com/docview/204570274?accountid=35796 Goodwin, R. D., Fergusson, D. M., & Horwood, L. J. (2004). Panic attacks and psychoticism. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 161(1), 88-92. Retrieved July 14, 2014 from http://search.proquest.com/docview/220493290?accountid=35796 Key, K. (2012). The Gale Encyclopedia of Mental Health (3rd ed., Vol. 2., pp. 109-111). Detroit, MI: Gale Cengage Learning. Mental Disorders in America. (2006). Retrieved July 17, 2014, from http://www.thekimfoundation.org/html/about_mental_ill/statistics.html Strickland, B. R. (2001). The gale encyclopedia of psychology. (2nd ed.) Detroit, MI: Gale Group.
Agoraphobia is a psychological disorder characterised by panic and anxiety. This particular anxiety disorder involves the fear of experiencing a panic attack in a public place where safety may be unavailable, which causes discomfort (Lilienfeld, 2017). This disorder is commonly recognized in women and often arises during adolescent years. Often times, people develop agoraphobia after a previous panic attacks, which than causes them to worry about having another in the future (Agoraphobia, 2017). This results in avoidant behaviours, such as evading places where an attack may occur. There are many causes, symptoms, effects on both the individual with the disorder and their loved ones, as well as a variety of treatments available.
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing.
The onset of Generalized anxiety disorder begins in childhood or adolescents, and It can have a lifetime prevalence of 3-5% with a higher risk in women. One major effect of Generalized Anxiety Disorder is excessive worry or anxiety lasting up to 6 months at a time, although individuals that have Generalized Anxiety Disorder don’t identify their worrying as excessive all of the time, but they will recount subjective distress because of a constant worry, or may have difficulty with control over the worrying, or even experience social impairment. Anxiety can be associated up to 6 symptoms which include inability to sleep, fatigued, lack of concentration, easily agitated, muscle tension, and sleep disturbances. Most of which can affect everyday lifestyle and greatly effect physical health, not only can they cause personal distress but may also cause distress in those around.
MacNeil, G. (2001). Time-limited psychosocial treatment for specific panic disorders and agoraphobia. Brief Treatment and Crisis Intervention, 1(1), 29-41. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/brief-treatment/1.1.29
Due to the intense nature of the physical symptoms of PD and its impact of one’s life, various researchers has identified different contributory factors of this disorder. Some studies indicated hyperventilation, over activity in the noradrenergic neurotransmitter system, interceptive classical conditioning, anxiety sensitivity, catastrophic misinterpretation of bodily sensations and safety behaviors are potential factors of PD (Davey, 2014). While, other researchers have stated PD is possibly caused by genetic predisposition, abnormalities in serotonin, and early developmental factors (Sansone et al., 1998). As the etiology of PD remains unknown and further studies are being conducted, it is agreed upon the mental health community that biological, psychological and cognitive factors contribute to the etiology and maintenance of PD.
Panic disorder is an anxiety-repeated disorder that affects approximately five percent of the population (Roy-Byrne, Craske, & Stein, 2006). A diagnosis of panic disorder requires that the individual experiences recurrent panic attacks with any of the following: worry about the possibility of future attacks, avoiding places or situations in which the individual fears a panic attack may occur, fear of being unable to escape or obtain help, or any other change in behavior due to the attacks (Roy-Byrne, Craske, & Stein, 2006). Panic attacks are often sudden and the sufferer usually experience physical symptoms such as autonomie, otoneurological, gastrointestinal,or cardiorespiratory distress (Roy-Byrne, Craske, & Stein, 2006). Individuals who suffer from panic disorder typically utilize medical services at a higher rate than those who do not have panic disorder, an impaired social life, and a reduced quality of life (Taylor, 2006). Often times those who suffer from panic disorder may also suffer from depression and general anxiety (Taylor, 2006). According to the Stanford University School of medicine, approximately 50 percent of patients diagnosed with panic disorder will develop depression and approximately 50 percent of depressed patients will develop panic disorder (Taylor, 2006). In addition those who suffer from panic disorder have a higher incidence of suicide, especially those with comorbid depression (Taylor, 2006). Not everyone who experiences a panic attack suffers from panic disorder (Roy-Byrne, Craske, & Stein, 2006). The same physical symptoms of panic disorder may occur when an individual is faced with specific fears and potentially dangerous situations (Roy-Byrne, Craske, & Stein, 2006). The difference b...
Sandberg, L., Busch, F., Milrod, B., Caligor, E., Schneier, F., & Gerber, A. (2012). Panic-focused psychodynamic psychotherapy in a woman with panic disorder and generalized anxiety disorder. Harvard Review of Psychiatry, 20, 5, 268-276. Retrieved from http://eds.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=21&sid=90152116-522c-4817-bf1f-1cec13d11c80%40sessionmgr4003&hid=4213
Panic attacks have been studied and recorded through human history. They were first revealed in a medical book during the eighteenth century and then finally recognized as a psychiatric diagnosis in the late 1900’s. In today’s news, panic attacks are describe and a fearful and anxiety filled period of time where you feel like you can’t breathe. In this paper I will talk about panic attacks and the psychological effects, statistics, coping mechanisms and lastly my journey through it all.
J.Clin Psychiatry (1998; 59) Pub Med, The long-term treatment of panic disorder, retrieved from website http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9707158
Panic Disorder is a type of anxiety disorder that consists of feelings of sudden fear, overwhelming fright, and fear of death. Panic disorder can be inherited, but it can also be the result of a stressful event that happened shortly before the feelings of panic occurred. Symptoms of panic disorder are some of the following: chest pains, heart palpitations, and shortness of breath, dizziness, and feelings of unreality, a sense of smothering, choking, and nausea. Many of these symptoms could occur to a person without having panic disorder at all. The attacks of panic disorder are often called “panic attacks.” Panic attack victims all stated that the panic attack lasted for what felt like several hours, but in actuality the attacks only last for a couple minutes. People that deal with panic disorders often have the phobia of never wanting to leave home also known as agoraphobia.
Anxiety is a natural response to a stressful or dangerous situation. The body reacts to a situation with a racing heart, sweaty palms and shortness of breath. For those with an anxiety disorder, this reaction is more intense, occurs frequently and can last hours, even days. Individuals with anxiety disorders tend to avoid anxiety-provoking situations, and often have difficulty with relationships, school and work performance, social activities and recreation. Anxiety disorder not only affect adults but children as well. Types of anxiety disorder that many face are, Specific Phobias: Intense fear of a specific object or situation, such as snakes, heights, or flying. The level of fear is usually inappropriate to the situation and may cause the person to avoid common, everyday situation
Lee Macaulay, J., & Kleinknecht, R. (1989). Panic and panic attacks in adolescents. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 3(4), 221-241. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0887-6185(89)90016-9 (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0887618589900169)
Anxiety is a state of mental and/or physical panic. Mild anxiety is uncomfortable while severe anxiety can be disabling. Some people believe that anxiety is a bigger problem in society than expected. One example that demonstrates how serious of a problem anxiety is is discussed in the book, Anxiety Disorders by J. Paul Caldwell, MD, CCFP, the author asserts, “...it becomes extreme and exaggerated in its response, a destructive rather than helpful force, impairing performance and producing marked emotional distress. Excess anxiety robs the lives of those who suffer from it of peace, strains their relationships with family and friends, and causes significant suffering and unhappiness” (8). The fact that anxiety has such a significant impact on quality of life proves that it’s a bigger issue than society thinks it is. This piece of evidence presents important information because it describes just how manipulative and sinister anxiety can be. A question this raises is, “How much do victims of anxiety really suffer?” Anxiety is not credited for all the harm it does. The fact that it is a ...
Wedding, D., & Corsini, R. J. (Eds.). (2014). Current psychotherapies (10th ed.). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole, Cengage
Research shows that anxiety and depression do work hand in hand, because of a lot of different situations that people are in. A lot of people that suffer from depression have a lot of anxiety too. This tends to happen a lot more in teenagers, than any other age group. Cause if you're depressed, you tend to worry and overthink a lot of things. Which leads to having anxiety. This can take a lot of times, but there are ways to help with your depression and anxiety. By going to someone to help you and guide you in the right direction. By giving you better situations to put yourself in, different ways to calm yourself and even go to a specialist and get pills that can help you in the process.