Symptoms, Signs and causes of Panic Anxiety Disorder

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The purpose of this material is to explain Panic Anxiety Disorder. It may help you to decide if you are having panic attacks. If there is reason to suspect Panic Anxiety Disorder, the article suggests a reasonable approach to take so that a proper diagnosis can be made and, if necessary, treatment begun. This is intended for educational information only. Treatment for appendicitis is not a 'do it yourself' project. Neither is treatment for Panic Anxiety Disorder. If you believe, after reading this, that you might have Panic Anxiety Disorder, you should see your physician who can either diagnose and treat you, or refer you to a specialist.

A Case History

Ann was watching television after a typical workday. She suddenly developed a peculiar and very strong feeling of being lightheaded and a smothering sensation as if there were no oxygen in the air she was breathing. Then a surge of pounding rapid heartbeat began. It came on so quickly and was so severe that she became panicked that she might be dying of a heart attack! Then she felt very shaky, sweaty, and unsteady. This whole experience reached peak intensity within 60 seconds. This was the eighth such attack this month.

PANIC

"Panic" was hardly the word to describe how terrified she was feeling. It went beyond any feeling of fear that she had ever experienced. Although she had gone to the emergency room several times, nothing seemed to be found by the doctors to explain why she kept having the attacks.

She frantically searched for her car keys so that she could get to the hospital immediately. She thought desperately, "What's wrong with me?"

What a panic attack feels like.

The main symptom of a Panic Anxiety Disorder is the panic attack itself. Panic Anxiety Disorder is a medical disorder characterized by severe and sudden episodes.

It is important to mention that sudden episodes of the symptoms listed above caused by another reasonable cause are not panic attacks. Two such reasonable causes would be (1) a certain medical ailment that might mimic a panic attack, or (2) a life threatening experience immediately preceding the attack. If these reasonable causes are found not be the cause of the problem then there is the possibility of a Panic Disorder.

Panic attacks reach maximum intensity within a minute or two once they begin. They diminish slowly over the next 30 minutes or the next several hours. It is common for the first attack to cause a person to go to an emergency medical facility. Subsequent attacks occur several times a month and are often as severe as the initial attack.

About three fourths of Panic Disorder patients are women. Panic Anxiety Disorder begins most often when people are 20-30 years old. It begins less often in teenagers or persons in their forties. It is uncommon for the disorder to appear in the elderly for the first time.

It is important to note that although a few experts say it is more common in persons who experienced a separation experience as a child, many of experts feel that Panic Anxiety Disorder afflicts emotionally healthy people. Persons having Panic attacks are no more likely than the average American to have suffered from emotional problems at the time the disorder begins.

Symptoms of a Panic Attack

raging heartbeat
difficulty breathing, feeling as though you 'can't get enough air
terror that is almost paralyzing
nervous, shaking, stress
heart palpitation, feeling of dread
dizziness, lightheadedness or nausea
trembling, sweating, shaking
choking, chest pains, distress
fear, fright, afraid, anxious
hot flashes, or sudden chills
tingling in fingers or toes ('pins and needles')
fearful that you're going to go crazy or are about to die

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Signs, Symptoms and Causes of Panic Attacks

A Case History

PANIC

What a panic attack feels like.

Symptoms of a Panic Attack