Have you ever had a friend who suffers from a panic attack? A panic attack or anxiety is a feeling of terror that strike suddenly and repeatedly with no warning (Psych Central, 2013). Anxiety is the body’s natural response to danger, an automatic alarm that goes off when you feel threatened, under pressure, or are facing a stressful situation (Smith, Robinson, & Segal, 2013). Having concern is not always a bad thing because it helps you stay aware and focused. But when anxiety is constant or overwhelming, when it interferes with your relationship and activities, it stops being functional, that’s when you crossed the line from normal, productive anxiety into the territory of anxiety disorders (Smith et al., 2013).
Panic disorder affect about 2.4 million adult Americans, most often begins during late adolescence and early adult adulthood (Katz, 2012). Studies have shown that biological and environmental play a factor in a panic attacks. Some factors are family history, abnormalities in the brain, substance abuse and major life stress (Katz, 2012). It is most common in men than women. According to one theory of panic disorder, the body’s normal “alarm system,” the set of mental and physical mechanisms that allows a person to respond to a threat, tends to be triggered unnecessarily when there is no danger (Stöppler, 2013).
There are no signs of panic attacks because they sneak up on you; you never know when they are going to come. Anything can trigger an attack like giving an important presentation in front of the class or losing your child at the mall. Some people even stop doing their daily activities because it gives them anxiety, or always having that feeling of something awful is going to happen. Panic attacks usually last for a...
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Psych Central. (2013). Panic Disorder Symptoms. Psych Central. Retrieved on November 22, 2013, from http://psychcentral.com/disorders/panic-disorder-symptoms/
Rogge, T., MD. (2013, February 26). Panic disorder: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia. U.S National Library of Medicine. Retrieved from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000924.htm
Smith, M., M.A, Robinson, L., & Segal, J., Ph.D. (2013, November). Anxiety Attacks & Anxiety Disorders. : Signs, Symptoms, and Treatment. Retrieved from http://www.helpguide.org/mental/anxiety_types_symptoms_treatment.htm
Stöppler, M. C., MD. (2013, September 10). Panic Attacks (Panic Disorder) Causes, Symptoms, Treatment, Signs, Medication, Types - MedicineNet. MedicineNet. Retrieved from http://www.medicinenet.com/panic_disorder/article.htm
Panic disorder- sudden intense and unprovoked feelings of terror and dread. People who suffer from this disorder generally develop strong fears about when and where their next panic attack will occur, and often restrict their activities as a result.
Psychguide (2016). Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Symptoms, Causes and Effects. Retrieved August 20, 2016, from http://psychguides.com
What is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, WebMD.com, describes Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and the known symptoms of it. He explains this first telling the reader what Post Traumatic Stress Disorder actually is and examples of it, then gives percentages of people that have it, then breaks down the different types and levels of it, and finally shows research that explains all of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. The Authors purpose is to explain what Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is in order to have the readers understand how serious Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is.
In the general population, less than five percent of people experience panic disorders, and only six percent develop agoraphobia during their lives, (MacNeil 2001). A diagnosis of panic disorder is given when panic attacks turn into a common occurrence, for no apparent reason and the person begins to change their behaviour because of the constant fear of having a panic attack. Someone suffering from agoraphobia has a fear of being somewhere where help will not be provided in case of an emergency; one third to one half of people diagnosed with panic disorders develops agoraphobia, (Hoeksema & Rector, 2011, p. 204). Research has examined two well-known ways a panic disorder with agoraphobia (PDA) can be treated: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) (alone and combined with two other medications) and Experimental Cognitive Therapy (ECT). Examining the research allows for a comparison of each treatment, along with a discussion of implications, resulting in determining which treatment is the most effective for someone who suffers from a panic disorder with agoraphobia.
"Symptoms and Diagnosis of Heart Attack." American Heart Association Symptoms and Diagnosis of Heart Attack. American Heart Association, 22 Mar. 2013. Web. 29 Mar. 2014.
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...
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Severe anxiety, which can be described as an episode of terror, is referred to as a panic attack. Panic attacks can be extremely frightening. People who experience panic attacks over a prolonged time period may become victims of agoraphobia, which is a psychiatric disorder that is closely associated with the panic disorder. Patients with Agoraphobia avoid certain places or situations such as airplanes, crowded theaters, a grocery store or anyplace from which escape might be difficult. It is said that Agoraphobia can be so severe that it has made certain individuals housebound.
Schizophrenia: Signs, Types & Causes. (n.d.). Schizophrenia: Signs, Symptoms, Types, Causes, and Effects. Retrieved November 10, 2013, from http://www.helpguide.org/mental/schizophrenia_symptom.htm
Smith, Melinda, and Jeanne Segal. "Anorexia Nervosa." Signs, Symptoms, Causes, And Treatment. Help Guide, n.d. Web. 06 Feb. 2014.
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Do you know what it feels like to have your palms sweat, throat close up, and your fingers tremble? This is the everyday life of someone who lives with anxiety. As soon as I wake up in the morning, I hear my brain freaking out about the day ahead of me. What do I eat for breakfast? What do I do first when I get home from school? What happens if I get in a car crash on my way to school? A million thoughts at one time racing through my head. I never have the time to process all of them. Most mornings, I lay in my bed and have to take a few deep breaths to begin my hectic but not so hectic day. That’s just the beginning. It’s safe to say that I feel that I 'm an anxious person and that I have an anxiety disorder.
"Major Depression (Clinical Depression) Symptoms, Treatments, and More." WebMD. WebMD, 03 Jan. 0000. Web. 10 Apr. 2012. .
National Institute of Mental Health. (2009). Studying anxiety disorders. NIH Medline plus, 5, 13-15. Retrieved from http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/anxiety-disorders/complete-index.shtml