Panic Disorder

Panic disorder cab be a disabling disorder for many people, but it can be treated through a variety of techniques and approaches.   It’s not uncommon for people who suffer from panic disorder to mistake the intense symptoms for a heart attack or other life-threatening illness.  In fact, people experiencing a full-blown panic attack sometimes find themselves in the emergency room, thinking they must be having a heart attack.

People who suffer from panic disorder often find that during a panic attack there will be a succession of intense periods of anxiety.  The typical duration of a panic attack is around 10 minutes, although they can last as little as 1-5 minutes or as long as up to 20 minutes, though this is uncommon.

Symptoms include a greatly increased heartbeat, uncontrollable fear, hyperventilation, perspiration, trembling, dyspnea, dizziness, etc. The frequency of occurrence can be daily or weekly.

Panic attack sufferers find themselves the subject of negative social effects, such as feeling alienated from others, feeling embarrassed, and so forth.  Roughly one third of those who suffer from panic disorder also suffer from agoraphobia, a fear of large open places.

Fortunately, there are many successful ways to stop panic attacks.  These include drugs, such as beta blockers, MAOIs, SSRI’s and various anxiolytics, as well as various cognitive-behavior approaches.