Panic disorders and fear of fear
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Here’s part 2 of the 2 part article about panic disorders. Part 1 is here
Diagnoses continue to be a problem for many phobics. Fearing that their symptoms indicate heart attacks, many sufferers wind up in hospital emergency rooms after their first attack.
It took Alicia Dogardo of New Providence, N J , three years to receive a diagnosis of panic disorder. During that time she quit her job and seldom left her home. “I struggled while six doctors told me it was everything from an inner-ear infection to a heart condition.” she said.
“When I finally found out it had a name - panic disorder - I was almost relieved. At least I knew I wasn’t going crazy or imagining things.”
Bogardo leads the panic disorder group at the New Providence Methodist Church every Wednesday night. “It still amazes me that people don’t realize what the disease is all about,” she said. “The support group lets people breathe a sigh of relief that they are not alone.”
Michael Rustick said he had rarely left his living-room sofa for two years, immobilized by the fear of a panic attack.
He now holds a job, leads PACT - Phobics with Anxiety Coping Together - in Somerville and is starting three other self-help groups, in Clark, F!emington and Green Brook, N J.
Rustick still experiences periodic panic attacks but is able to cope effectively through a number of learned behavioral responses.
He puts it down to 2 techniques – The Linden Method is one, and humor is the other. “It really is the best medicine.” he said. This is such a crazy disorder, since it can strike from out of the blue with absolutely no warning. What else can you do but laugh about it? I’ve done all the worrying I’m going to. Now it’s time to get on with my life.
Dealing with social anxiety disorders and the varied symptoms can be extremely difficult and at times seem like it's impossible. And the ever increasing range of anxiety medications isn't really helping us to solve the problem - they're simply masking the symptoms. I hope to offer help and support on my blog, by sharing my experiences in suffering from and dealing with panic and anxiety attack symptoms.
