Panic Attacks Research Paper

The panic disorder results from an anxiety disorder that causes panic attacks to happen. An example would be when the phone suddenly rings and it makes your heart start to race, or all of a sudden you feel this overwhelming sense of terror even though there is no reason for it. Panic attacks can cause severe physical reactions and sometimes they can feel frightening to the individual that is having the panic attack. The attack can last 10-20 minutes and sometimes it can continue for an hour if it is not controlled. Panic attacks have rushed people to the emergency rooms (ER) because it is frequently mistaken more than often of having all the symptoms of a heart attack, stroke or even a seizure. The symptoms that are characterized by this attack are: feeling weak all of a sudden, tingling or numbness in the hands and fingers, sense of terror of impending death or doom, feeling faint or lightheaded, sweaty hands, having body chills, chest pain, racing heart, breathing difficulties and feeling like your whole body is losing sense of

Have you ever thought- “Why do I feel so down?” “How can I feel happier?” “Can I control my fears?”

If one or multiple family members develop panic disorder, it is likely others in the family will too. Though there has been no specific gene or biological characteristic that proves this connection, there is a definite correlation between family history of panic disorder and an increased risk in others in the family. Goldberg, J. (2014, February 11) Anxiety & Panic Disorders Health Center. Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/anxiety-panic/guide/mental-health-panic-disorder?page=1. Another known cause is stress. Having high levels of stress is a trigger for panic disorder. This could be caused by anything from a loss of a loved one, a major life transition, or a devastating event. Panic disorder can also be caused by certain medical conditions such as Hyperthyroidism, Hypoglycemia, Withdrawal of drugs/medication, and stimulant use. Smith, M. & Segal, J. (2015, August 15) Panic Attacks & Panic Disorder. Retrieved from

Today we know that panic attacks are a sudden urge of overwhelming fear and anxiety.

Panic disorder is dissimilar from the normal fear and anxiety reactions to stressful activities that is a serious illness that strikes without any warning. Panic attacks involve a feeling of extreme anxiety or fear that may last for anyplace among for a few minutes possibly to various hours. Symptoms of panic disorder happens with sudden attacks of fear and nervousness. Also, it causes such as sweating and a racing heart. During a panic attack, the fear response for the situation often is not threatening. Over time, a person with panic disorder develops a constant fear of having another panic attack, which can affect daily functioning and in general in their life. Panic attack is a reaction of the sympathetic nervous system. Panic attacks are not permanently threatening. People can or possibly won’t develop a panic attack at any time in their life. Everyone go through panic in a different way.

Some factors they may contribute to a panic attack or that can start a panic attack is: having panic attack disorders that were genetically past on, major changes in your life like having a new sibling and having your parents’ divorce, and a traumatic situation that happened to you such as rape or sexual assault and

What happens during an anxiety attack and the symptoms of the condition usually stay the same throughout the span of the episode, but the pathology is different. The attack happens swiftly and without any pre-emptive measures. Stressful conditions usually cause the attack to happen in a heartbeat. Those who are unable to get a hold of their emotions usually feel as if they will die. This fear that one is about to lose his life only compounds the severity of the

An article by McGrandles and Duffy (2012) describes characteristics of panic disorder as including “recurrent panic attacks that occur suddenly and without warning. These can cause persistent

4.) If you feel tension building-up, grip on the wheel and then try to release it gently. Suppressed and unreleased tension will trigger full blown panic attacks especially if you had already had an experience.If you get a firm and strong grip on something while having these attacks will only increase your tension.

Panic disorder is defined as, “recurrent unexpected panic attacks” (American Psychiatric Association, 2013, p. 208). A panic attack is a heightened sense of fear or discomfort that swells and reaches a climax; the entire event last around 10 minutes (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). An unexpected panic attack means that there is no trigger that sets off the attack, they occurs seemingly random (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). During these attacks, in order for it to be considered panic disorder, at

Panic Disorder is described as a repeated period of intense fear or discomfort, along with other symptoms that include racing heartbeat or feeling short of breath. Specifically, In the educational book Introduction to Psychology I, panic disorder is described as “Anxiety disorder in which an individual experiences numerous panic attacks (four or more in a four-week period) that are characterized by overwhelming terror and often a feeling of unreality or depersonalization” (Ettinger, 1994).

While it is not known what actually causes the attacks there are things that may play a role in those causes that include the following. Certain changes in the way the parts of your brain function. The flight or fight response to danger may contribute to a panic attack; however, it is not known why a panic attack occurs

Fear and anxiety are feelings that are natural human responses. These feelings are necessary in humans and animals for survival and to deal with dangerous and stressful events. They/such feelings help individuals cope with adverse or unexpected situations. However, there are certain individuals who will experience these feelings on a daily basis for long periods of time. The constant fear and anxiety interferes with individual’s daily lives and it is then when these feelings become a mental health problem, identify as Anxiety Disorders (Steimer, 2002). One of these anxiety disorders is Panic Disorder. Panic Disorder is characterized by individuals suffering from unpredicted and constant attacks of fear which normally last between 10 to 20 minutes. These attacks are known as panic attacks. Panic attacks are identified by fear of losing control even in situations where there is no real danger. Some of the most frequent symptoms a person experience when having a panic attack are chest pain, palpitations, sweating, feeling short of breath and the feelings of going crazy or having a heart attack (National Institute of Mental Health, 2016). Furthermore, people who suffer from Panic Disorder often develop other conditions such as depression, phobias and drug abuse. Many people with Panic Disorder will avoid certain situations and environments because they fear they may suffer a panic attack. Because of this, it is also very common for individuals with Panic Disorder to develop agoraphobia (NIH, 2016). As a consequence of fearing a panic attack, people with this disorder often engage in catastrophic and negative thinking. A common example is “my heart is beating fast, I am having a heart attack” (Steimer, 2002). Therefore, Panic Disorder is a condition that have a negative impact on people’s family, social and working lives (Kessler et al., 2005). Panic Disorder is treatable, and numerous treatments exist which help reducing the severity of the symptoms as well as decreasing the number of panic attacks that occur in the disorder. These treatments are biological treatment, which involve pharmacological drugs, psychotherapy or a combination of both (National Institute of Health and Care Excellence, 2013). This essay

Anxiety in humans are in different forms as I have listed above, the different types of anxiety affects our bodies in different ways. Panic disorder causes people to feel terrified and often and repeadtly with no warning , other symptoms of panic attacks may include but not limited to chest sweating and chest pain often times a person may experience rapid heartbeats which causes the person to think they may be having a heart attack. They main symptom of panic attacks are they fear of any future panic attacks, this causes many people to ignore or disregard any past event which lead to previous

Amplified heart rate. Distressed breathing. Feverous perspiration. Uncontrollable restlessness. Clouded judgement and skittish thoughts. Anxiety causes me to feel these symptoms in an overwhelmed state of panic lockdown. Although my panic attacks have debilitated me since the fourth grade, it has made me into a stronger person.