Panic Disorder Awareness
What is panic disorder?
Panic disorder consists of having panic attacks that are unexpected and that occur frequently. Individuals with a panic disorder may also be concerned about having another panic attack;this includes the fear of a panic attack occurring again and behavioural changes related to the attacks such as avoidance. Panic disorder also includes when an individual also has a fear that something bad might happen due to having a panic attack. This lasts for the minimum of one month for an individual to be considered panic disorder.
Symptoms and signs:
There are cognitive, behavioural and physical symptoms/ signs that correlate with panic disorder:
Cognitive Symptoms:
Thoughts that they might be suffocating or having a heart attack
Feeling that they are losing control or going crazy
Behavioural Signs
Individual might end up avoiding places that they had anxiety symptoms e.g. specific places such as a local shop or something more broad such as all malls
Individuals may no longer travel places due worry about having a panic attack
Avoiding activities that can induce similar panic attack symptoms such as sports or anything that raises heart rate
Physical symptoms
Sweating, chest pain or discomfort
Numbness or tingling
Feelings of detachment
Shortness of breath or feelings of choking
Trembling or shaking
Pounding heart
Dizziness or nausea
Causes & Risk Factors
There is no exact correlation to why an individual develops panic disorders although there may be some ties to certain events or heritable connections that may be part of the connection to panic disorder.. Having a history of panic disorder in the family can be a cause or risk factor. Other medical or psychiatric problems either in family history or with individual themselves. Lastly a stressful or traumatic life event that occurs in ones life can be a cause or risk factor
When does experiencing panic attacks turn into a panic disorder?
Panic attacks can occur to any individual and is quite common to occur when someone is extremely stressed with situations that have been impacting an individual's life at the moment. There is a point when panic attacks can turn into panic disorder based on the frequency of the panic attacks. May have a panic attack based on a phobia or fear of yours although it doesn't necessarily indicate panic disorder. Although panic attacks can be intense what differentiates it from panic disorder is if it is paired with fear of panic attacks will happen again. Panic disorders are paired with the fear of the panic attack escalating to cause a more noticeable biological/cognitive response such as embarrassing themselves, going crazy, dying, having a heart attack or fainting. Overall, being aware that panic attacks may occur with other anxiety disorders or even with individuals who are experiencing adverse amounts of stress although this does not correlate to panic disorder.
How to help someone with panic disorder
There are many ways in which helping someone with panic disorder can be done by being an active listener taking the time to look at what they might need in the situation or the time that a panic attack is happening. Taking time to see what type of psychological treatment there is that is specifically in line with your or someone you love experiences. Helping an individual during a panic attack might seem scary or cause worry. Being able to find ways to distract the person can be highly helpful. Going through a panic attack individual may also be extremely taxing so taking the time after to give yourself a moment to destress and ground oneself in whatever way works for you. Being able to be there and not pass judgment if a panic attack happens to an individual. Potentially even making sure they are not surrounded by people if possible when they are having a panic attack. If you are experiencing a panic attack alone there are ways to shock the system back into a regulator state such as eating a super sour candy or dunking your head in cold ice water. Overall, just being there for a person and letting them talk about how this affects their daily life can be extremely supportive.
Resources:
https://www.camh.ca/en/health-info/mental-illness-and-addiction-index/panic-disorder