What is Panic Disorder?

Panic attacks may arise as the result of the body’s natural “flight-freeze-fight” response kicking in. This response prepares our body to defend itself. Just like when our heart beats faster to pump blood to our muscles. Or when we hyperventilate to take in extra oxygen. Both of which give us the energy to run away or fight off danger. But sometimes our body reacts when there is no real danger. This false alarm is what we call a panic attack.

In addition people who experience specific fears may also have a panic attack. Such as a man with a dog phobia will have a panic attack when a dog runs towards him. Or a woman who is afraid of speaking in public may have a panic attack when her boss asks her to present to her co-workers.

There is no medical evidence that panic attacks cause harm to the body or brain. Other people, except those very close to you, may not be able to tell that you are having a panic attack. While some of the symptoms may feel very intense, they are actually quite discrete, or unnoticeable. Such as when someone’s heart rate or breathing speed increases or they are feeling dizzy.

A panic attack can happen to anyone, anywhere, anytime. You may be terrified and overwhelmed even though you are not in danger. Some people may have one simply panic attack. Maybe because they are stressed at work, school or home and it causes a panic attack. But this doesn’t mean you have panic disorder.

About 1 in 10 people will have a panic attack a year. The vast majority of those will only have one in their lifetime. Only 3% of people go on to develop a panic disorder. Panic disorder is classified as reoccurring and unexpected panic attacks. It is a type of anxiety disorder.

Panic disorder includes periods of intense fear. It is more common in women than men. Panic disorder causes people to usually end up constantly worrying and changing their routine and lives to help prevent the panic attacks from reoccurring.

What Are The Symptoms Of Panic Disorder?

1. Sudden and repeated attacks of intense fear
2. Feelings of being out of control during a panic attack
3. Intense worries about when the next attack will happen
4. Fear or avoidance of places where panic attacks have occurred in the past
5. Pounding or fast heartbeat
6. Sweating
7. Trembling or shaking
8. Shortness of breath or a feeling of being smothered
9. A choking feeling
10. Chest pain
11. Nausea or stomach pains
12. Feeling dizzy or faint
13. Chills or hot flashes
14. Numbness or tingling in the body
15. Feeling unreal or detached
16. Fear of losing control or you are going crazy
17. A fear of dying

What Causes Panic Disorder?

A panic attack usually only lasts between 5-15 minutes.  But it the effects can linger for hours. It can leave the person feeling like they are having a heart attack or a stroke. So it’s not unusual for people to end up in A and E.

If left untreated, panic disorder can sometimes lead to agoraphobia, leaving people unable to leave their own home. It is unknown what causes panic disorder. But research has suggested it could be linked to genes or the environment you grew up in.

The use of illegal drugs or alcohol to try to deal with panic disorder can make the symptoms worse. This person with panic disorder may also have depression. But there is no evidence that one causes the other.

Diagnosis And Treatment For Panic Disorder.

Your GP, or main doctor, will want to know how long you have had your symptoms and will also ask you to describe them. They will also want to run some tests to rule out other possible medical casues. If they feel you have panic disorder they will refer you to a psychiatrist or psychologist for futher treatment. Plus your doctor may also prescribe an antidepressant or anti-anxiety medication to help with symptoms. 

Once you see a therapist they will tailor your treatment to suit you and any other conditions you may be experiencing. They can use CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) to help you understand the disorder and aid your recovery. Plus other forms of talk therapy.

Self-help or lifestyle changes will also aid your recovery. Please be patient with yourself and your recovery it will take time. There is no one form of treatment that fits all and people differ in terms of recovery time so never compare yourself to someone else.

Self-help For Panic Disorder.

Initially How To Self-help.

1. See your GP and get referred for therapy with a psychologist. Be honest with your GP and talk about all your symptoms as you could have depression or another related illness. You can also refer yourself for private therapy.
2. Make sure you have good basic self-care in place. If you don’t then ask for help from your therapist in creating a better routine.
3. Cut back on caffeine, alcohol, and cigarettes. All of these make anxiety symptoms worse.
4. Increase your exercise and make sure you eat regular healthy meals. Exercise will help reduce the anxiety hormones flying around your system and boost your mood.
5. Get a good night’s sleep. if you have a problem sleeping discuss this with your GP and ask for help. Meditation, once it is a regular practice, will help here. I have a free course to help improve your sleep you can join my group here to access it. 

Some Other Things You Can Do.

1. Make sure you have healthy boundaries in place for yourself and in any relationship (family, friends, colleagues) again your therapist can help you here.
2. Plus it is a good time now to review what you want in life. I’ve got some journal questions that might help here.
3. Reduce your stress levels. Including learning good time management techniques to help with work or school pressures.
4. Take up meditation: Mindfulness is a very effective option here but I would only recommend you learn with a psychologist. Mindfulness can bring up hidden or trapped trauma from the past. So please have the support from your therapist in place first before you commence any course. Any form of meditation will do or even combine with with another form of relaxation such as yoga. 
5. Become an expert on how your body responds to natural anxiety, unnatural stresses, and anxiety. Plus how you respond during a panic attack and panic disorder. Remember information is empowering. Your therapist will help you with this. But so will reading about other people’s experiences. National organizations websites will also contain accurate and helpful advice.
6. Start a journal of all your thoughts, fears etc. This will aid you when working with a therapist to help review and challenge any negative thinking that affects your condition. It will also aid sleep and stress reduction.
7. Join a support group and an online support group. Again this type of disorder can be very isolating so meeting others with the same or similar condition will help you on two levels. First in reducing the isolation and feelings of isolation and secondly you can learn from their experiences.
8. Ask for help from family and friends. Make sure you understand your condition before explaining it to anyone else. Delete negative family members or friends from your life now. You don’t need them, especially at this time. Your recovery should be your first priority now.

Help For Family And Friends.

1. Family members might like to access individual therapy or family therapy might also be a consideration for you.
2. Like you family members should also join a support group. They can feel isolated and may feel they have to carry extra burdens too. So reaching out for help isn’t a sign of weakness on their part either and will aid them greatly.
3. Find out everything they can about panic disorder and never criticize or judge. This can be hard at times, just like with every other disorder recovery can take time and life goes on. But having a better understanding of panic disorder and how it affects your loved one will help you too.

Work With Me.

If you need extra support then you can also work with me. We all struggle with stress and overwhelm from time to time. If you find this has become a problem for you and you’d like some support then schedule an appointment with me.