Experiencing fear is normal. It is a natural response when you feel threatened or when you sense danger. However, irrational, recurrent, and intense panic is not normal and can significantly affect your behavior. According to WebMD, panic disorder “is a serious condition that strikes without reason or warning… During a panic attack, the fear response is out of proportion for the situation, which often is not threatening.” Panic attacks make you vulnerable to anxiety, depression, and even substance abuse. The condition can also impact your functionality and quality of life.

The good news is that, with therapeutic help, panic disorder can be treated or managed to let you resume a normal life.

Understanding the Panic that Grips

If you are a sufferer of panic disorder, you know that it feels like it is taking over your life. It can be debilitating, even when the attacks are sporadic, and more so when they happen with frequency. Intense waves of panic can come without warning, even when you’re asleep or calm. If the symptoms are recurring, it can leave you with extreme worry and paranoia.

These symptoms are actually natural body reactions to fear called the “fight-or-flight response.” They are meant to put your body in an alert state to better respond to danger. However, when panic is repeatedly triggered by your mind with no outward cause, it can affect your health in a negative way.

The Anxiety Network describes the symptoms as similar to those of a heart attack. You may breathe fast and gasp for air like you are hyperventilating or suffocating from lack of oxygen. Other common symptoms of panic attacks are:

• a racing or pounding heartbeat
• dizziness and lightheadedness
• feeling that “I can’t catch my breath”
• chest pains or a “heaviness” in the chest
• flushes or chills
• tingling in the hands, feet, legs, arms
• jumpiness, trembling, twitching muscles
• sweaty palms, flushed face
• terror
• fear of losing control
• fear of a stroke that will lead to disability
• fear of dying
• fear of going crazy

Agoraphobia: The Phobia Bred by Panic

Panic disorder can breed agoraphobia when you excessively dread the symptoms and avoid situations that you fear may trigger an attack. While shying away from places and situations is occasionally possible, some can’t be completely avoided, especially those related to work or school. You may develop a general tendency to stay in your comfort or safe zones and socially withdraw.

Agoraphobia can considerably restrict your life. If you are young, getting your education is important. If you have a job, there could be places you have to go to grow in your career or to get a promotion. Staying close to home is safe, but it limits your ability to lead a fulfilling life, and you may miss wonderful opportunities.

Knowing the Triggers: Can You Prevent Panic Attacks?

If you are aware of what triggers your panic attacks, you may feel more in control. Unfortunately, the exact causes aren’t really clear, though studies have pointed to genetic as well as environmental factors.

In the post The Genetic Basis of Panic Disorder, a group of Korean scientists led by Hae-Ran Na say that “There has been evidence for either genetic heterogeneity or complex inheritance, with environmental factor interactions and multiple single genes, in panic disorder’s etiology.” They also suggest that a number of biological systems, specifically transmitter systems, may be linked to panic disorder. For instance, a structural aberration in the part of the brain that controls your fight-or-flight response can trigger your panic attacks.

Major life events and substance abuse are environmental factors that can potentially contribute to or trigger panic disorder. Certain medical conditions, such as low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), mitral valve collapse, and overactive thyroid gland (hyperthyroidism), may also trigger panic attacks, as can taking certain medications.

No Need to Live with It: Overcoming Panic Disorder

You are not alone in your battle against panic disorder. More than four million Americans (5% of the general population) are gripped by panic, says the National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH). It is widely held that the figure could be higher because a large number of people may be living with it untreated. Why live with panic disorder when it is treatable with the right help from an independently contracted therapist with Carolina Counseling Services — Sanford, NC?

Remember, panic attacks can be managed and panic disorder can be treated. In the hands of a caring and proficient therapist, you can learn to manage your emotional responses so that you can function without the symptoms of the condition. Don’t wait too long, if you are eager to live a panic-free life. An independent therapist contracted with Carolina Counseling Services — Sanford, NC, is waiting to assist you.

Related Articles:

• Anxiety Across the Lifespan
• Mood Disorder: Getting Help to Restore Emotional Balance