The panic attack is a sudden episode, peaking in about ten minutes, during which the subject feels a feeling of imminent catastrophe with fear of going crazy, losing control or dying, accompanied by various autonomic symptoms such as: dyspnea , palpitations, chest pain or discomfort, feeling of suffocation Each attack lasts an average of 20 to 30 minutes.
Causes
Usually, the panic attack is not triggered by specific stimuli, but it can happen that it is, and that there are situations that favor it.
Panic disorder tends to be a chronic condition, meaning it never completely heals. Often, we can find it associated with depression or addiction to substances, especially alcohol, which appears to be a "self-healing" modality to combat anxiety.
Diagnosis
In order to be able to make a certain diagnosis of panic attack it is necessary that the attack is unexpected, that, in the following month, the patient has the worry of a new attack or of the consequences it creates (if it has already occurred previously), or that it changes their own behavior through avoidance strategies.
To learn more, read also Panic Attack: What it is and How it manifests itself , or a clear refusal to be in such situations out of fear. It is therefore common that these subjects tend to remain closed in the house to go out only in company (reassurance conduct), which results in inevitable difficulties for their life, especially social and work.Agoraphobia also has a chronic course, and is generally more disabling than panic disorder, since, unlike panic disorder, it does not occur episodically but is constant. It should however be considered that the two disorders are often associated.
See also Agoraphobia: What is it? Causes and Symptoms and Therapy (hyperventilation) during the attack causes a feeling of lack of air; for this, it is recommended to hold your breath for 10-15 seconds or to breathe in and out of a paper bag.The most commonly used drugs are benzodiazepines (anxiolytics) and some antidepressants.
Other articles on "Panic Disorder (PD) and Agoraphobia"
- Anxiety: normality or pathology
- Anxiety
- Phobias
- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
- Post-traumatic stress disorder and acute stress disorder
- Anxiety Disorders
- Anxiety - Medicines to Treat Anxiety
- Anxiety - Herbal Medicine
