Anxiety is a normal reaction to stressful conditions, such as preparing to take a test, tense situations at work or concerns about family. Anxiety becomes a disorder when worries become excessive and irrational about everyday situations. Panic or anxiety attacks strike suddenly, causing fear or terror and feelings of being out of control. The attacks can disrupt people's lives when they become afraid to go out in public or avoid situations that may bring on panic attacks.
Function
Panic or anxiety attacks are also referred to as panic disorder. Feelings of impending doom and a sense of unreality overcome people going through the attacks. The terror of panic or anxiety attacks nearly paralyzes some people when they become consumed with fears they are going crazy, having a heart attack or on the verge of death, states the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).
Effects
The frightening reactions to panic attacks often lead to physical symptoms, such as a raging or pounding heartbeat, chest pains, difficulty breathing or choking feelings, trembling, tingling throughout the extremities, hot flashes or cold chills, dizziness or lightheadedness, and nausea.
Time Frame
Attacks may last only a few minutes, peaking at about 10 minutes, or they can last up to an hour, the NIMH says. Those suffering from panic attacks do not know when attacks will occur, but they often avoid situations that brought on previous episodes. They steer clear of places or events where attacks occurred, which can interfere with their daily lives. Fears of attacks can affect a person's choice of job or where she lives. In extreme cases, people with panic disorder refuse to do normal activities, such as driving or going grocery shopping.
Complications
Panic attacks are not dangerous alone, but they can lead to other anxiety disorders, including depression, phobias, medical conditions that cannot be explained, substance abuse and suicide, explains Anxietypanic.com. For example, a fear of going outside because of panic attacks can develop into agoraphobia, a fear of open spaces.
Misconceptions
Panic disorder is the most treatable of all anxiety disorders, the NIMH notes. Unfortunately, because of the physical symptoms the attacks produce, people may visit doctor offices and emergency rooms for years before a correct diagnosis of panic disorder is found to cause the physical reactions.
Prevention/Solution
Treatment for panic disorder includes medication. Antidepressants have been found to be effective in the management of panic attacks, the Mayo Clinic says. Mild sedatives, such as benzodiazpines, treat panic attacks, especially for people seeking emergency treatment for their episodes. Psychotherapy helps change the patterns of thinking that cause the fear and anxiety. Cognitive behavioral therapy teaches people to recognize the situations or thoughts that trigger attacks, the Mayo Clinic explains. Other forms of therapy may examine a person's thoughts to find the emotional conflicts that play a role in fears.
