PANIC ATTACKS AND PANIC DISORDER

PANIC ATTACKS AND PANIC DISORDER
A woman, age 65, is driving over a bridge when she's gripped with fear. She get palpitations and chest pains and begins to sweat. She feels as though she's about to suffocate, and is certain she's going to die. She screams, and the friend sitting next to her in the car reaches over and grabs the steering wheel. The passenger manages to pull the car over safely. The attack passes after about 10 minutes, but is so frightening that the woman calls he doctor. After performing a physical exam and finding her otherwise healthy, the doctor tells her that she had a panic attack and recommends a psychiatric consultation.
Symptoms: Sudden, extreme apprehension, fear, or terror, often associated with feelings that a castrophe im imminent. Physical symptoms include shortness of breath, palpitations, chest pain, sweating, a sensation of smothering, and fear of going crazy or losing control. During panic attacks, individuals may feel dissociated from the world, and even from themselves, that they think they're losing their minds and are out of touch with reality. But panic attacks, in and of themselves, are not a sign of psychosis—once the panic attack passes, the person no longrr feels “crazy” or out of control.
A panic attack usually lacks 5-30 minutes, but it can continue for as long as several hours. Though panic attacks typically occur during the day, they can also rouse someone from deep sleep. Because they cause symptoms throughout the body, panic attacks can be mistaken for neurological, gastrointestinal, cardiac, or pulmonary illnesses.
A panic attack can be an isolated event, or may occur repeatedly. When people have more than one panic attack, they are often triggered by a particular situation. Some people develop anticipatory anxiety when they are in situations that have induced panic attacks before, such as driving or riding over a bridge, shopping in a crowded store, or waiting in line. A panic attack can also be a symptom of another anxiety disorder. For panic disorder to be present, you must have repeated, unexpected panic attacks, and these attacks must cause persistent worry about having further attacks or significant changes in behavior.
EverydayHealth.com http://everydayhealth.com/emotional-health/anxiety/panic-attacks...