Anxiety and Panic Disorder

Symptoms and Treatment of Anxiety And Panic Disorder

There are a lot of different types of anxiety disorders, but perhaps one of the most frightening and debilitating forms is called anxiety and panic disorder. The disorder is a serious healthy problem, but it can be treated successfully. Some scientists estimate that around 1.7% of American adults have suffered from anxiety and panic disorder at one point in their lives.

Anxiety and panic disorder is often associated with – or even misdiagnosed – as agoraphobia, but the two not the same, although some scientists believed that as many as 36% of anxiety panic disorder sufferers also suffer from agoraphobia as well.

Symptoms

The symptoms of anxiety and panic disorder are especially terrifying when compared to the other types of anxiety disorders. Someone with anxiety and panic disorder suffers from intense periods of extreme anxiety known as panic attacks. They can last up to an hour, although 1-10 minutes is more common. What makes the panic attacks worse is that they can wax and wane for hours, occurring one right after another.

The panic attacks cause heart palpitations, sweating, dizziness, trembling, and shortness of breath – and that’s just the physical symptoms. The attacks cause intense, uncontrollable fear, and some patients even say they feel like they are “going crazy” in the middle of them.

When And How Often Does It Occur?

Typically, anxiety and panic disorder develops in early adulthood. Around half of its sufferers develop the disorder under the age of 24. Most of its other sufferers are between the ages of 25 and 30, and women are twice as likely to as men to develop anxiety and panic disorder.

Once a person develops anxiety and panic disorder, it can continue for months or even years, depending on whether the sufferer seeks treatment or not. If they choose not to get treatment, anxiety and panic disorder can become a real problem and seriously affect a person’s quality of life. It is also a form of social anxiety disorder, because sufferers report that their panic attacks affect everything they do, their relationships, even their working life.

It is extremely important that anxiety and panic disorder be successfully diagnosed early on because its symptoms are so severe. Death rates in people who have anxiety and panic disorder are found to be higher than the death rate in the general population, and the main cause is believe to be suicide, although doctors are unsure if it’s just anxiety and panic disorder or the combination of it and other disorders.

Treatment

Thankfully, anxiety and panic disorder can be successfully treated. Most often, cognitive behavioral therapy is used. The patient works with doctors to help curb negative thoughts and reduce or eliminate the attacks. Medication is usually not required, but in rare cases, doctors can prescribe antidepressants or anti-anxiety drugs, which are taken as needed.

Get Help Fast

If you believe you have anxiety and panic disorder, don’t be afraid to contact your doctor and get help – your life will be so much better once you get it under control.

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