WHAT IS PANIC DISORDER?
Panic disorder can occur at any time in life. Panic disorder is the occurrence of repeated panic attacks, a deep emotional and cognitive disorder, which can seriously damage the life of an individual and the lives of his loved ones.
The causes of panic attacks can be multiple and must be carefully investigated. Although all panic attacks have similar symptoms, they still occur due to the unique situation of a single person, in unique circumstances, with its unique psychological capacities.
A panic attack is a sudden intense fear that overwhelms a person. It comes without warning and for no apparent reason, which is why it confuses a person extremely. It is far stronger than the ordinary everyday feeling that you are very upset, which many people experience every day. When people call a psychologist for panic attacks, in many cases, there is a feeling of shame and fear, because of this huge anxiety that characterizes panic attacks, and all the consequences they bring with them, a person believes that he is in some sense disturbed, crazy, as if it could be seen on it. When people hear that almost every person experiences a panic attack at least once in their life, it visibly becomes easier for them because they learn that they are not alone in their problem.
During a panic attack, the symptoms seem to come at once and out of nowhere. They are formed in a seemingly harmless situation, and can also occur during sleep.
SYMPTOMS OF PANIC ATTACK:
• Feeling we have ‘Run out of gas’ emotionally
• Feeling of unreality and separation from oneself (depersonalization)
• Feeling as if things are spiraling out of control
• Tachycardia, a feeling of impending heart attack
• Shortness of breath, feeling of suffocation
• Almost paralyzing and difficult speech
• Dizziness, feeling like we are going to pass out
• Nausea
• Chest pain
• Bursts of heat and cold
• Shaking of arms and legs, feeling of weakness
Panic attacks:
• They come suddenly, without warning and without the ability to stop
• The level of fear is not proportional to the danger in the situation: they also occur in completely harmless situations
• Sometimes they pass very quickly, and sometimes they can last for several hours.
MOST COMMON REACTIONS TO A PANIC ATTACK:
There is almost no person who did not go to the emergency room at least once due to the symptoms of panic attacks, feeling the impending catastrophe, with a cry for help, support. Although in its essence a panic attack is not dangerous, it can certainly be for the person who experiences it frightening, especially because the person feels like he has gone crazy and is out of control. However, on the way to the doctor on duty, very often the panic attack stops, and the person is greeted by numerous analyzes and the doctor’s conclusion that everything is fine with his health. All this increases the confusion and the feeling of helplessness, which further complicates this condition, leads to a growing fear of panic attacks, contributes to distrust of doctors, and even the development of other side disorders and problems, such as agoraphobia, hypochondria, and very often, increasing withdrawal. Daily activities and retreat to a safe place (usually in the house), as well as looking for support from other people, looking for someone to always be there, which further complicates at least one more life.
DIAGNOSIS OF PANIC DISORDER
Although there are signs that may indicate what you are suffering from, only an authorized psychologist or psychiatrist will be able to accurately diagnose a panic disorder, with an analysis of the causes that led to the development of this unpleasant condition, as well as a plan and strategy for getting rid of it.
TREATMENT OF PANIC DISORDER
The vast majority of clients who come to psychologists with the problem of panic disorder have visited a large number of doctors over time, and even drank a whole range of drugs against panic disorders, read a large number of articles on the Internet, however, none of that helped.
Therefore, psychotherapy is the most effective means of treating panic disorders. Conversation therapy will primarily enable a person to understand their condition, to learn to recognize panic triggers and to control them with certain techniques adapted to each unique person.
COMPLICATIONS OF PANIC DISORDER
-If not treated in time, panic disorder can have severe consequences. The most immediate danger is depression due to avoiding an increasing range of situations, people and experiences.
-The quality of everyday life is visibly impaired and endangered.
– Visits to the doctor are more frequent, without visible improvement.
– There is helplessness and despair among family members and friends.
-The condition can develop into chronic and last for years.
… Although people who live with panic attacks for a long time lose faith that their lives will ever look normal again, with accurate and clear information they can get from psychologists, after discovering the causes and triggers that led to this condition, with an adequate work plan and strategy on liberation from fear and panic, very quickly, through several sessions, the person begins to free himself and returns to an ever-widening range of daily activities with increased self-confidence. Once she comes out of this painful state, this experience can regularly serve as a strong psychological motive for her to overcome future critical life periods and situations, as well as to provide support to people who are in the same state.
Milana Zorić
Doctor of psycholo