panic attacks symptoms http://www.symptomspanicattacks.com cure panic attacks, panic attack treatment, panic attack causes, signs, diagnosis Thu, 12 May 2011 18:18:31 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Symptoms of panic disorder http://www.symptomspanicattacks.com/symptoms-of-panic-disorder.htm http://www.symptomspanicattacks.com/symptoms-of-panic-disorder.htm#comments Tue, 28 Jul 2009 09:02:07 +0000 admin http://symptomspanicattacks.com/?p=13 People who have panic disorder often get terror feelings suddenly and over and over again without warning. No one can predict the time of occurrence of the attack and many patients are likely to get anxious intensely between attacks, since they tend to worry more about the next occurrence. The attacks may occur irrespective of the time and place of the occurrence. They have this lingering thought which haunts them more than the attack. When the attack begins, the most likely symptoms are
· Palpitations, or pounding heart, or increased heart rate
· Chest pain or chest discomfort
· Choking sensation
· Feeling unreal or detached from self and surroundings
· Feeling dizzy, or lightheaded, or faint or unsteady
· Fear of dying
· Chills or hot flashes
· Fear of loss of control or becoming insane
· Sweating all over
· Nausea or other abdominal discomfort
· Numbness or tingling sensation
· Shortness of breath or smothering sensation
· Trembling or shaking
Attacks are likely to occur at any time even during a non-dream sleep. These attacks can occur a few minutes or can go to a maximum of 10 minutes. Rarely, the maximum range can extend to an hour or even more. Panic disorder can accompany depression or drug abuse or alcohol abuse or phobias.
Many people with panic disorder avoid places like grocery shops, movie theatres, buses, trains, etc. They may sometimes fear to leave their home also, or leave the house only when they have the company of their spouse or a trusted person. They try to avoid all situations in which they think they will be helpless in case of an attack. When they restrict their lives in this way, the condition is referred to as agoraphobia. It has been found that this may be a genetic disease which runs in the families. However, early diagnosis can prevent the disease to progress to agoraphobia.  
The patient normally gets recurrent or repeated and unexpected attacks at least once a month. There are chances for some people to get it several times a day whereas for some others it may occur weekly or monthly. One or more of the following symptoms may occur specifically.
· Constant fear about the future attacks
· Worry about the after-effects or consequences of the attack
· Behavioral changes due to attack
The phobia is not a symptom of panic disorder. It may be or may not be present. Again the panic disorder is not linked to the abuse of any substance like drugs, alcohol, medications or general medical conditions like hyperthyroidism. Panic attacks are also not reported by other diseases like Social Phobia, Specific Phobia, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Separation Anxiety Disorder, etc.

]]> http://www.symptomspanicattacks.com/symptoms-of-panic-disorder.htm/feed 2 Panic Disorder Treatment http://www.symptomspanicattacks.com/panic-disorder-treatment.htm http://www.symptomspanicattacks.com/panic-disorder-treatment.htm#comments Tue, 28 Jul 2009 08:59:37 +0000 admin http://symptomspanicattacks.com/?p=11 Panic disorder has been found to be treated by means of psychotherapy or medications.
Psychotherapy
Research has indicated the importance of psychotherapy in the treatment of panic disorder. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is a suggested form of psychotherapy by American Psychiatric Association for panic disorder in particular. CBT reveals the significance of both the behavioral and the thought processes to understand and control anxiety or panic attacks. The treatment is especially meant for the insufficient, obstructive, damaging behaviors and unreasonable thought processes which enable the symptoms to continue.
Further research has indicated the effectiveness of panic-focused psychodynamic psychotherapy for the treatment of panic disorder. This has been based on Freud’s psychoanalytic theories. Here the focus of the treatment is to enable the clients better understand their unconscious conflicts within and their fantasies. This helps the clients to recognize the defense mechanisms which take part in continuing the symptoms.
Psychotherapy is normally done by a social worker, psychologist, psychiatrist, or an experienced counselor.
Medications
The drugs may be prescribed either by a physician or a psychiatrist. The duration for the drug treatment may vary among individuals. For some people, it becomes essential to continue the medication for their entire life, whereas for some it may not be needed.
The drugs generally used for the treatment of panic disorder are anti-anxiety drugs and antidepressants. The anti-anxiety drugs are mostly benzodiazepines. They include Ativan, Klonopin or Xanax. Since the patients are likely to get addicted to these drugs, they are prescribed sparingly or in very low amounts.
Antidepressants are prescribed though there is no clinical depression, since antidepressants prevent panic attacks. Antidepressants perform their action by changing the levels of the neurotransmitters (brain chemicals). Those neurotransmitters which are affected are
· Serotonin – modulates mood, anxiety, sleep, sexuality and appetite.
· Dopamine – manipulates body movements and is believed since a long time to have involved in motivating, rewarding, reinforcing, and other addictive behaviors. There are many psychosis theories suggesting the role of dopamine in psychotic symptoms.
· Norepinephrine – monitors alertness and sleep and is also supposed to be linked to fight and flight stress response of the body.
The antidepressants used in the treatment of panic disorder symptoms are
· Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) – Paxil, Zoloft and Prozac – increase the serotonin levels of brain to perform its action.
· Serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) – Effexor and Cymbalta – alter the levels of both norepinephrine and serotonin.
· Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) – Anafranil and Elavil – alter norepinephrine and serotonin to a larger extent and dopamine to a smaller extent.
· Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) – Nardil and Parnate – similar to TCAs.
The most commonly used ones among the antidepressants are SSRIs. MAOIs are normally the last option since these drugs are likely to interact dangerously with beverages, foods and other drugs and so the patients must stick to a strict diet to avoid any after-effects.

]]> http://www.symptomspanicattacks.com/panic-disorder-treatment.htm/feed 164 Diagnosis of Panic Disorder http://www.symptomspanicattacks.com/diagnosis-of-panic-disorder.htm http://www.symptomspanicattacks.com/diagnosis-of-panic-disorder.htm#comments Tue, 28 Jul 2009 08:56:42 +0000 admin http://symptomspanicattacks.com/?p=6 In case of a person being found with the symptoms of panic disorder, it is recommended to get medical consultation as early as possible. They are tough to manage without help and may worsen if not treated. Since panic attack symptoms are similar to other health problems like heart attack, it is as important as the other serious complications to make a check up especially when the person is uncertain about the cause of the symptoms.
Nowadays, many people are aware and take regular check ups at the emergency department and consult many doctors and hospitals owing to their serious physical condition which cannot be easily diagnosed. Initially a primary care provider can be approached. If the provider confirms the belief that the person is supposed to have the symptoms of a panic disorder, then it is recommended to meet a psychologist or psychiatrist for treatment.
If the person has been found to have the symptoms but unwilling to take the treatment, it is better to confide in a trusted person, either a friend or spouse or health care professional to take the initial steps. In order to identify the symptoms, the person needs to undergo several tests. It is the responsibility of the doctor to determine if it is panic disorder or other similar condition. The tests and examinations included are
· Physical exam – includes general body check up
Ø Height and weight
Ø Heart rate
Ø Blood pressure
Ø Temperature
Ø Examining the abdomen
Ø Attention to heart and lungs
· Laboratory tests
Ø Complete blood count
Ø Thyroid tests
Ø Blood tests
Ø Electrocardiogram – to check functioning of heart
· Psychological evaluation
The doctor questions regarding the symptoms of the disease like what symptoms occur and what are their feelings then, the frequency of occurrence, at what time they occur normally and if occurred, how long they last for and since what age the person has been experiencing these. The patient needs to discuss about their stressful life events, fears and concerns, relationship issues and other problems they are facing in their life. Sometimes the patient is asked to fill out a questionnaire which includes self-assessment questions. The patient needs to state their drug or alcohol abuse, if any.
Everyone is not likely to develop the panic disorder full-blown all at once. In order to be diagnosed having panic disorder, the person must meet some criteria stated by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), published by American Psychiatric Association. This manual is of a great help for many of the health care providers for diagnosis of panic disorder and also for insurance companies to compensate for the treatment.
The criteria includes
· Frequent, unanticipated panic attacks
· Worry constantly for future panic attacks or for losing control
· Avoiding places and situations owing to fear that it may be a trigger
The panic attacks are not the result of any substance abuse or general medical condition like agoraphobia or social phobia. If it is just in the initial stages and not yet fully-blown, the treatment may prove very beneficial. But if they are left untreated, it may lead to other serious consequences.

]]> http://www.symptomspanicattacks.com/diagnosis-of-panic-disorder.htm/feed 87 Causes, risk factors and prevention of Panic disorder http://www.symptomspanicattacks.com/causes-risk-factors-and-prevention-of-panic-disorder.htm http://www.symptomspanicattacks.com/causes-risk-factors-and-prevention-of-panic-disorder.htm#comments Tue, 28 Jul 2009 08:53:20 +0000 admin http://symptomspanicattacks.com/?p=3 Causes
Panic disorder can be caused by many things. Research has not yet had any evidence for the exact reason of the occurrence of panic attacks and panic disorder. But some are supposed to play a significant role though. They are
· Stress
· Genetics
· Changes in the manner how the brain pathways function.
Further some research recommends that the body’s natural fight-or-flight response to danger is connected to panic attacks. In case of a real danger, it is normal for everyone to react instinctively. The heart and breathing rates may increase as the person prepares his body for the situation. All these symptoms occur similarly in the panic attacks. But panic attacks are caused when there is no real reason to fear about.
Risk factors
It is really tough to identify and recognize the number of people affected by panic disorder or panic attacks, especially owing to the diagnostic issues. Surveys project a population of around two to six million Americans possessing panic disorder. The symptoms of the disease can start frequently in the late adolescence stage or at the age of 30s. But agoraphobia may occur irrespective of age. Women are twice more likely to develop the disease compared to men. Many people get panic attacks just once or twice in their entire lifetime. The problem goes off later. This is probably at the end of the stressful situations.
The factors which influence the chances of developing the panic attacks are
· Family history recorded for panic disorder or panic attacks.
· Death of the loved one
· Serious illness of someone close
· Significant stress
· Major changes in life like the birth of a baby
· Undergone a stressful life event like accident or rape
· History of childhood sexual or physical abuse
Complications
Panic disorder is not an easy thing. It may lead to serious consequences like social phobia or agoraphobia if not treated at the proper time. These consequences may have a major impact on the future of the individual. Agoraphobia is the fear that the person gets owing to their constant worry about the future occurrences of the attack. Social phobia occurs because the people try to avoid all situations which they feel stressed like avoiding meetings, and places like movie theatre, buses, etc. The complications that are likely to occur in association with panic disorder are
· Specific phobias like fear of driving, even leaving home
· Depression
· Avoiding social situations
· Financial problems
· Increased suicidal thoughts and risk of suicide
· Substance abuse
· Issues at school or work
Prevention
There is no certain way or method to prevent the attacks or the disorder. However, proper diagnosis and early treatment helps to stop from worsening or occurring more frequent. Strictly following the treatment plan enables to prevent relapses. Relaxation, stress management techniques, meditation, etc may prove fruitful.

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