Panic Disorder: Everything You Need To Know

According to the MSD Manual, panic disorder is defined as “the appearance of repeated panic attacks that are usually accompanied by fear of future attacks or changes in behavior, to avoid situations that could predispose to crises”.

In other words, a person with panic disorder feels high levels of distress and is also afraid of experiencing future crises. A strong feeling of fear or terror that appears spontaneously is also frequent .

In this way, crises can present different levels of intensity and duration. However, its development usually occurs in a few minutes although it can exceed an hour in duration.

Generally, this problem appears continuously over an extended period of time. Therefore, subjects often develop fear of panic attacks and their consequences. In addition, it usually appears together with other psychological disorders such as post-traumatic stress.

Symptoms of panic disorder

As a general rule, affected subjects suddenly present a series of symptoms that reach their greatest intensity within a few minutes of the onset of the panic attack. In this way, the most frequent signs of panic disorder are:

• Sweating
• Tachycardia.
• Chest pain.
• Nausea and vomiting
• Discomfort in the abdominal area.
• Vertigo, dizziness, or even syncope (fainting).
• Derealization or identification of the situation as unreal.
• Depersonalization or feeling of being separated from the affected subject.
• Difficulty breathing normally and choking. It generally appears accompanied by hyperventilation or an increase in the patient’s normal breathing rate.
• Tremors that can become intense.

• Terror of dying, of losing control over oneself, of going crazy, etc.
• Sensation of heat or cold that appears as hot flashes or chills, respectively.
• Paraesthesia It is a medical term that refers to the sensation of tingling or numbness in a body region.

What are the causes of panic disorder?

So far, specialists have not been able to identify the exact causes that cause this disorder. However, according to various studies in this area, possible risk factors have been identified. Therefore, it is a series of circumstances that increase the probability of presenting the problem. For example, we can include:

• Family background. According to statistics, people with close relatives who have suffered from panic disorder are more likely to suffer from it.
• Consumption of chemicals that endanger the central nervous system or CNS. In particular, compounds such as alcohol, tobacco or other types of toxic substances such as drugs. Thus, the withdrawal syndrome constitutes a period of high risk.

• Psychological characteristics of the patient, how he reacts to situations considered unsafe or threatening.
• Certain diseases. As a general rule, it refers to thyroid disorders (hyper and hypothyroidism), cardiac alterations, arrhythmias, especially, etc.

How is panic disorder diagnosed?

There is still no medical test that can accurately identify this problem. However, the medical team may assume its existence when the patient continuously develops attacks of distress.

Likewise, the verification of the lifestyle and the psychological evaluation of the subject play a decisive role in the diagnosis. If the patient begins to develop an obsessive fear of seizures, it should be checked whether he has also developed agoraphobia.

What is the treatment for panic disorder?

Within the possible treatment to alleviate the disorder we can distinguish between two types of therapy:

• Use of drugs. Antidepressants and anxiolytics are usually administered, the most common is to use short-lived benzodiazepines to calm the patient and combine it with maintenance treatment to prevent the crisis from appearing again.
• Psychological Support. It is carried out by professionals who will advise the patient so that the disorder does not interfere with their daily life. They will also give them a series of guidelines to control anxiety attacks and face unsafe situations. Communication is important.