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People with
panic disorder experience frequent, unprovoked panic attacks
that involve some or all of these symptoms:
- Racing heartbeat
- Chest pains
- Terror
- Fear of
dying
- Dizziness
or lightheadedness
- Nausea
- Flushes
or chills
- Difficulty
breathing
- Tingling
or numbness
- Feelings
of unreality
- Fear of
losing control or doing something embarrassing
Panic disorder
strikes between 3 and 6 million Americans, and is twice
as common in women as in men. It can appear at any age—in
children or in the elderly—but most often it begins in
young adults. 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.
Panic disorder
is often accompanied by other conditions such as depression
or alcoholism, and may spawn phobias, which can develop
in places or situations where panic attacks have occurred.
For example, if a panic attack strikes while you're riding
an elevator, you may develop a fear of elevators and perhaps
start avoiding them.
Some people's
lives become greatly restricted—they avoid normal, everyday
activities such as grocery shopping, driving, or in some
cases even leaving the house. Or, they may be able to
confront a feared situation only if accompanied by a spouse
or other trusted person. Basically, they avoid any situation
they fear would make them feel helpless if a panic attack
occurs. When people's lives become so restricted by the
disorder, as happens in about one-third of all people
with panic disorder, the condition is called agoraphobia.
A tendency toward panic disorder and agoraphobia runs
in families. Nevertheless, early treatment of panic disorder
can often stop the progression to agoraphobia.
Studies have
shown that proper treatment—a type of psychotherapy called
cognitive-behavioral therapy, medications, or possibly
a combination of the two—helps 70 to 90 percent of people
with panic disorder. Significant improvement is usually
seen within 6 to 8 weeks.
Cognitive-behavioral
approaches teach patients how to view the panic situations
differently and demonstrate ways to reduce anxiety, using
breathing exercises or techniques to refocus attention,
for example. Another technique used in cognitive- behavioral
therapy, called exposure therapy, can often help alleviate
the phobias that may result from panic disorder. In exposure
therapy, people are very slowly exposed to the fearful
situation until they become desensitized to it.
Some people
find the greatest relief from panic disorder symptoms
when they take certain prescription medications. Such
medications, like cognitive-behavioral therapy, can help
to prevent panic attacks or reduce their frequency and
severity. Two types of medications that have been shown
to be safe and effective in the treatment of panic disorder
are antidepressants and benzodiazepines.
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