Panic attacks symptoms and panic disorder
Panic attacks symptoms are also known as episodic paroxysmal anxiety. Scientists consider panic attacks symptoms in the structure of panic disorder. In the disorders of this kind anxiety is the chief symptom and it is not limited to any particular external situation. Doctors as well find depressive and obsessional symptoms, and some patterns of phobic anxiety, but they are less important and less severe.
The fundamental element of panic disorder is frequent attacks of severe anxiety in the form of panic and panic attacks symptoms, which are not limited to any particular situation or circumstances and cannot therefore be predicted. The prevailing characteristics of panic attacks symptoms are unexpected beginning of palpitations, chest pain, suffocations, vertigo, and feelings of unreality called depersonalization or derealization. Patents suffer from fear of dying, losing control, or going mad.
Panic disorder is characterized by panic attacks symptoms within a short period of time. Causes of anxiety attacks may result in a period of constant fear of enduring another attack. A panic attack has an abrupt commencement of intense apprehension, fear, and terror. Doctors also observe such symptoms as difficulty in respiration or suffocation, beating or pounding of the heart, increased heart rate, chest pain or discomfort, strangling, giddiness or weakness, trembling or shivering, perspiration, nausea or abdominal distress, a feeling of unreality, numbness or tingling, hot flashes or chills, fear of death, and fear of “going crazy.” A panic attack is always unforeseen and is not instantaneously associated with stressful circumstances. Doctors noticed an intimate connection between panic attacks symptoms and symptoms of depression.
Particularities of symptoms
The main signs of this disorder are attacks of panic taking the form of the severe anxiety and increasing fear. They may be
- Repeated — several attacks during 4 weeks;
- Causeless – not connected to the determined situations, things, circumstances or objective threats and consequently unpredictable.
Panic attack symptoms are characterized by the following attributes:
- Discrete episodes of intensive fear or discomfort with the sudden beginning;
- Symptoms achieve the maximum within several minutes and last at least several minutes;
- Minimum 4 of the first 14 symptoms of anxiety should be present, and one of them should be vegetative. Characteristic symptoms are fear of death, fear of madness, fear of the occurrence of panic attack and avoiding behavior.
Differential diagnosis
Panic attack symptoms should not be caused by:
- Somatic disorder,
- Organic mental disorder,
- Other mental disorders, such as:
- schizophrenia and the disorders connected to it,
- affective disorders (panic attacks can be secondary in relation to depressive disorders);
- somatoform disorders
- phobias because panic attacks may be a part of diagnosed phobic disorder.
Variants
The range of individual variations regarding the contents and the seriousness is so great that it is possible to distinguish two degrees, moderate and heavy:
- Panic disorder of a moderate degree (at least four panic attacks during the four-week period);
- Panic disorder of a serious degree (at least four panic attacks in a week for four weeks of supervision).