Panic disorder is one of the ‘so-called anxiety’ disorders and is the result of
an increased level of anxiety which is caused by a change in the way the
Amygdala, in the brain, responds to anxiety-provoking thoughts or situations.
When this process becomes disrupted, the sufferer develops feelings of
anxiety which may escalate into panic attacks or Panic disorder.
Panic Disorder has such diverse and sometimes extreme symptoms. BUT,
this is caused by the same internal mechanism in every single sufferer. The
brain thinks it is behaving normally as it has become re-set at a higher than
normal level of anxiety due to a catalyst of some sort; the catalyst is
unimportant actually, what is important, however, is that an internal switch,
which activates the anxiety response in the brain has been 'adjusted' to a
higher level of anxiety and it is this that causes and perpetuates the Panic
Disorder. As you know, I don't like the term disorder, it suggests illness and
anxiety isn't an illness, it's a natural device that can become disturbed.
Panic Disorder affects about 10 million adults in the US and the UK and is
twice as common in women as in men. It most often begins during late
adolescence or early adulthood.
Not everyone who experiences panic attacks will develop panic disorder - for
example, many people have one attack but never have another. For those
who do have Panic Disorder, though, it's important to seek treatment.
Untreated, the disorder can become very disabling indeed.
Many people with Panic Disorder visit the hospital emergency room
repeatedly or see a number of doctors before they obtain a correct diagnosis
and may go for years without learning that they have a real, treatable
condition.
Regardless of how the anxiety affects you mentally or physically, the very
same internal mechanism is responsible, so the curative process is the same
in every case regardless of age, race or gender. To eliminate Panic Disorder
permanently, this mechanism must be addressed and corrected.
repeatedly with no warning. They can't predict when a panic attack will occur,
and many develop intense anxiety between episodes, worrying when and
where the next one will strike. Most likely your heart will pound and you may feel sweaty, weak, faint, or dizzy. Your hands may tingle or feel numb, and you might feel flushed or chilled. You may have nausea, chest pain or smothering sensations, a sense of unreality, or fear of impending doom or loss of control. You may genuinely believe you're having a heart attack or losing your mind, or even on the verge of death.
Panic attacks can occur at any time, even during sleep. An attack generally
peaks within 10 minutes, but some symptoms may last much longer.
Panic Attack Symptoms Explained
First of all, the word 'symptom' is used by doctors to describe the effects of
illness... ANXIETY IS NOT AN ILLNESS... it's a behavioral condition.However, anxiety does produce some pretty scary SENSATIONS.Yes, I said SENSATIONS because all of the feelings and thoughts you experience are just that! They are the physical manifestations of high anxiety and NOTHING MORE!
True FEAR can only be present when there is something PRESENT to be
scared of. If you have panic attack symptoms when there is nothing present
to be scared of... you are experiencing INAPPROPRIATE ANXIETY... the
sensations of FEAR, BUT, NOT true fear!
Even any weird or anxious thoughts you experience are ALL the product of
the anxiety response which creates 'what if' thoughts... thoughts designed to
make you make sensible decisions quickly when REAL fear is present; but
when no REAL fear is present, the thoughts work on presenting you with
'worst case scenarios' and some can be pretty weird and disturbing; these
might include aggressive thoughts or sexual thoughts... thoughts about things
you KNOW you'd never actually carry out. Disturbing but harmless and a
recognized and common panic attacks symptom.
Does this make sense?
I tell you this because I need you to understand that all the panic attacks
symptoms, feelings, thoughts and sensations you experience are products of
the anxious nerve signals your brain produces, not the signs of illness.. not
physical illness, not mental illness!
Symptoms of panic attacks are unpleasant, to say the least, BUT they are
completely normal and harmless (no matter how inappropriate).
Not everyone experiences the same panic attack symptoms; we are all
different biologically and therefore react differently to each other as a
response to the same or similar stimuli.
The following list identifies the most common panic attack symptoms.
Experiencing four or less of these panic attack symptoms identifies what is
called a limited symptom attack.
Common Panic Attack Symptoms
* Rapid heart beat, pounding heart or palpitations
* Sweating
* Shaking visibly or inside
* Choking sensations or lump in throat
* Smothering or shortness of breath sensations
* Chest pain or discomfort
* Nausea, bloating, indigestion or abdominal discomfort
* Dizziness or unsteadiness
* Feeling light-headed
* Derealization (feeling unreal or dreamy)
* Depersonalization (feeling outside yourself or like you don't exist)
* Fear of losing control or going crazy
* Paresthesias (numbness or tingling sensations) in face, extremities, body
* Chills or hot flushes
* Skin losing color
* Blushing or skin blotches
* Urgently needing to urinate or defecate
* Inappropriate/Disturbed thoughts
* Muscle pain, especially in neck or shoulders
...and possibly many more!
Experiencing different or more panic attack symptoms to those listed above, does not mean that your condition is worse or different, or that you are suffering from another un-diagnosed condition. Diagnosis of anxiety disorders is very accurate. Some people have anxiety disorder but never suffer from panic attack symptoms.
