Panic disorder is characterised by panic attacks recurring more than once a week over the course of four weeks. A panic attack is a period of intense anxiety or fear, starting abruptly and reaching its peak within a few minutes. A panic attack can last from a couple of minutes to several hours. Panic attacks usually include severe restlessness, anxiety and a panicked sense of fear as well as various bodily symptoms.
The physical symptoms of a panic attack are caused by intensified functions of the autonomic nervous system. Such symptoms include:
- heart palpitations
- tremors
- sweating
- drying of the mouth
Symptoms occurring in the chest and stomach area are also common, such as:
- shortness of breath
- sense or fear of suffocation
- chest pain
- nausea
- diarrhoea
Psychological symptoms often occur simultaneously with the physical symptoms:
- dizziness and sense or fear of fainting
- surreal feeling
- fear of going insane
- fear of losing control
General symptoms may also include a tingling or numbing sensation.
The attacks appear suddenly and without warning. They often impair the person’s ability to focus and may cause fluctuations in their ability to stay conscious. Nearly anyone who has experienced panic attacks also develops symptoms of anxiety and a fear of certain situations where they have previously occurred. A chronic panic disorder is an illness that considerably affects people’s quality of life.
Treatment of panic symptoms
Panic symptoms are treated similarly to anxiety. Psychotherapy enables permanent recovery. The initial treatment is started with medication affecting serotonin metabolism. This alleviates and often eliminates panic attacks and calms down the functions of the autonomic nervous system. Psychotherapy is used to more closely study and treat the factors causing the panic symptoms.
Patients often seek other medical attention for their panic symptoms as they are frighteningly similar to the symptoms of cardiac, cerebral and gastrointestinal diseases. In addition to the psychological causes for panic disorder, a psychiatrist can also assess and rule out symptoms caused by somatic disorders.
