Trauma and Anxiety Disorders Clinic
Panic Disorder
| Description | Panic attacks
are sudden rushes of fear or anxiety that come on for no apparent
reason, and they include a number of physical sensations such as having
a racing or pounding heart or feeling dizzy. People with panic disorder
not only have panic attacks, but they also often develop considerable
anxiety between attacks, worrying about when another panic attack might
occur, and/or using different methods to try to avoid panicking.
Many people with panic disorder also avoid situations in which they
might panic, or from which escape might be difficult or embarrassing if
they were to panic; this avoidance is called agoraphobia. Panic attacks themselves are fairly common, with only some people who experience them going on to develop panic disorder.
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| Panic Disorder Symptoms |
The
person experiences recurrent unexpected Panic Attacks and at least one
of the attacks has been followed by 1 month (or more) of one (or more)
of the following: o
persistent
concern about having additional attacks o
worry about
the implications of the attack or its consequences (e.g., losing
control, having a heart attack, "going crazy") Symptoms cause significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning. Symptoms are not caused by another psychological disorder, or by the physiological effects of a substance (e.g., drug, medication) or a medical condition (e.g., hyperthyroidism).
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| Panic Attack Symptoms | A panic attack is a discrete
period of intense fear or discomfort, in which four (or more) of the
following symptoms developed abruptly and reached a peak within 10
minutes:
- palpitations, pounding heart, or accelerated heart rate
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References:
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