PANIC DISORDER

People with panic disorder experience recurrent, unexpected, panic attacks. A panic attack can be described as an intense, sudden rush of physiological sensations (e.g., racing heart, difficulty breathing, sweating, chest pain). Panic attacks typically last for about 10 minutes, but in rare cases can last an hour or more. Because panic attacks tend to be unexpected, people with panic disorder worry that these attacks are an indication that something is wrong with them physically or mentally. In between attacks there is often intense anxiety about the risk of having another attack. This fear can lead an individual to avoid activities and restrict behaviors. In some cases, individuals can only perform certain activities in the presence of a "safe person", who can assist them in case of an attack. Panic attack symptoms can include:

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• Pounding/racing heart

• Sweating

• Trembling or shaking

• Shortness of breath

• Feelings of choking

• Chest pain or discomfort

• Nausea

• Feeling dizzy, unsteady, or faint

• Chills or heat sensations

• Numbness or tingling

• Feelings of unreality

• Fear or losing control or "going crazy"

• Fear of dying

Although many people experience these symptoms at some point in their lives, individuals with panic disorder live in fear of experiencing these symptoms and experience them frequently. For some individuals panic attacks may originally be cued by certain environmental features. Later, they might occur without any predisposing stress or identifiable cues. It is also possible to suffer from discrete panic attacks and not suffer from panic disorder. It only becomes a disorder when the individual suffers from recurrent and uncued attacks, begins to fear the possibility of having another attack, or fears the consequences of an attack (e.g., going crazy, having a stroke), and shows significant impairment in functioning.