People who have never suffered from a panic disorder have no clue how many people who actually suffer from it. As much as one out of every seventy-five people are affected by panic disorders in North America alone. Panic attacks are the key indicator of a panic disorder.
These attacks typically start with a sudden occurrence of intense anxiety without any reasonable external cause. The severity and duration of the attack can vary from person to person. People who have never had such attack tend to believe that such attacks are simply the same as being “stressed out”, but unfortunately it is much more serious than that. Panic disorders can be devastating keeping people from living normal lives.
The Symptoms
The common symptoms are:
- Fast raising pulse
- Problems with breathing
- Paralyzing
- Tingling and numbness in fingers and toes
- Sweating or quivering
- And in the most serious cases we can see dizziness, nausea, choking and chest pains.
Some patients report that a panic attack is like knowing they are going crazy without being able to do anything about it.
The symptoms people who suffer from this anxiety disorder have would be considered as normal reactions if they were in response to an appropriate situation. If you encountered a bear in the woods, the symptoms described above would make sense, a normal ‘fight or flight’ response to a real danger. The fact that these symptoms are not happening under dangerous circumstances but for no reason at all, is what make them a disorder.
panic attacks rarely do any physical damage even though they can be experienced as life-threatening and prevent you from living a normal life. Often complications are associated with panic disorders such as depressions, phobias, substance abuse and others. In most cases these complications are not caused by the panic anxiety itself but rather by the fear of having that next attack.
Which Treatments Are Available?
Although the symptoms of panic anxiety may vary from one person to another, there is help for everyone. Most doctors or therapists are using a treatment called cognitive behavioral therapies which have proven to be very effective when dealing with panic attacks. I happen to know one specific treatment that has cured thousands of people from their panic disorder permanently. If I told you that you can stop letting your anxiety problems ruin your life in short time, would you believe me?
by Gary Gui
