Anxiety and
Panic Attacks

Anxiety attacks and panic disorders are two common ailments of our time. These modern afflictions can torment adults and children alike. While they are more common in women than men, nobody is immune to these conditions.

The amount of people who are affected by these disorders is not exactly known; however, it is estimated that 40 million Americans suffer from some kind of intense fear and of those, 7% of the population has been actually diagnosed with a panic or anxiety disorder.

Many go undiagnosed because the symptoms can be sporadic and/or do not always present themselves with the same intensity.

Watch the following video clip to see what happens during a typical panic attack, as well as a comparison between normal and abnormal stress levels in social situations.

Signs and Symptoms

Amongst the most common symptoms are dizziness, heart palpitations, extreme nervousness, a feeling of nausea or upset stomach, shortness of breath, chest pain, sweating, choking, tingling sensations, shaking or feeling weak all over, and out-of-the-blue sensation of fear. Some people express a feeling or need to run, hide and/or escape from a certain situation or place.

Several of these symptoms mimic those found in heart conditions and/or breathing disorders, which make them quite frightening to experience. This is why many people end up at the ER believing they have a life-threatening condition. Most likely they wind up feeling frustrated time and again after a series of tests that reveal nothing wrong. They may have to wait months or even years for the correct diagnosis to be established.

Watch this video clip to see what happens during a typical panic attack, as well as a comparison between normal and abnormal stress levels in social situations.

In all of these circumstances, the same physiological functions and chemicals get activated within the body. This is called the “Flight or Fight” response.

In the presence of a hazard, our nerve cells fire in sequence activating the release of potent hormones like adrenaline, noradrenalin and cortisol which get released into our bloodstream creating dramatic changes at the physiological level. These are just some of those changes:

Our blood gets pulled away from digestive tract and pumped into muscles and limbs for extra energy in case we need to run away; our respiratory rate increases to drive more oxygen to our cells; our pupils dilate for sharper eye sight; blood vessels constrict so our perception of pain diminishes; our immune system mobilizes and our awareness of the surrounding environment intensifies, all in preparation to confront the enemy or escape from it.

This response was originally described by Walter Cannon, Harvard Physiologist, as a primitive, innate and automatic response that prepares the body to “fight or flee” from a real or perceived threat, harm or danger with the intention of survival. Our brains are hard-wired for our bodies to react with increased stress when presented with a life-threatening situation.

This is why it’s difficult to cope with anxiety and panic attacks as the intense physiological response has no apparent or immediate danger and as such, it
makes no sense.

Causes

Several risk factors can trigger the development of the symptoms characteristic of anxiety and panic disorders.

These have been linked to genetics, brain chemistry, and personality types, as well as stressful life events which may trigger the onset of the symptoms.

Consequences

Many people suffer in silence as they feel embarrassed and afraid to be considered hypochondriacs. This may lead to isolation, as these people tend to feel “safer” in a known environment, such as home. However, by going into seclusion they are also depriving themselves from the support that family and friends could offer them.

Approximately one third of people who suffer panic attacks develop agoraphobia, a condition precipitated by fear of having a panic attack in a public place where there may not be a way to escape.

People who suffer from agoraphobia avoid places where crowds tend to gather, such as shopping malls, elevators, parties, and public events.

Treatment

Anxiety disorders can be very intimidating and frightening. Unfortunately, once they happen you expect them to happen again, making this condition a never ending cycle of “Fear – Anxiety – Panic Attack.”

Fortunately, the vast majority of people who suffer anxiety and panic attacks can be successfully treated.

Then again, treatments vary according to the specifics of every individual, the degree of distress, the frequency and intensity of the events, as well as other common maladies that can be found in panic disorder sufferers, such as irritable bowel syndrome, insomnia, and depression to name a few.

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