What Is a Panic Disorder
Panic disorder is the frequent recurrence of two or more of the following symptoms: chest pain, shortness of breath, choking sensation, sweating, feeling faint, hot or cold flashes, and fear of dying or going crazy. About 2 percent of the population suffers from panic disorder. And about 4 percent of the population suffers from occasional mild panic attacks.
Since many of the symptoms of panic disorder resemble medical disorders, sufferers frequently tend to seek help from a physician first, rather than a psychologist 6r psychiatrist.
The attacks represent the momentary failure of protections which usually keep the person reasonably calm. The indefiniteness of the danger is the dominant feature of panic. Often nothing in the situation seems to warrant the panic, therefore no sensible steps can be imagined to avoid it.
Treatment consists of identifying conditions that set off the panic by carefully examining the situations to establish a pattern which can be brought to the person’s awareness. A variety of behavioral extinction techniques that work well are then used to stop the anxiety.
