Panic
Disorders
Have you ever
had an experience where you
started to feel dizzy and shaky,
your heart was pounding, you
perhaps felt tingling in your
fingers or lips, and had an
overwhelming sense of fear or
doom for a period of time? If so,
then you may have suffered a
panic attack. You may have been
concerned that something was
seriously wrong, possibly gone to
the doctor to check for heart
problems only to be told that you
are perfectly fine. Whilst this
is reassuring, you may
nonetheless be fearful of having
another
'attack'.
Understand
this
condition
Panic disorder
is a common anxiety disorder.
Often symptoms start without a
clear cause and because they are
mainly physical in nature, both
the sufferer and the doctor may
mistake it for a physical
condition. The key feature is the
"panic attack" which usually
occurs out of the blue. This is a
period of fear or discomfort with
many physical symptoms. In
addition to those mentioned
above, others include sweating,
shortness of breath, feeling of
choking, chest pain, nausea,
feeling detached from oneself,
fear of dying. A secondary fear
can then develop, which becomes a
fear of the fear and of places
where previous attacks have
occurred. For example, a person
who has woken from sleep with a
panic attack may be too afraid to
go to sleep lest it happen
again.
counseling can
provide an understanding of the
mechanism of panic and anxiety so
that a person can manage the
rising anxious feelings using
cognitive (thinking) techniques.
At times, if a person feels that
his/her body has completely lost
control, then a referral will be
made to a doctor for assessment
and possible
medication.
