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What is a
panic attack?
The basic feature
of a panic attack is an unmistakable period of intense fear and
distress that is accompanied by various physical and cognitive symptoms.
The physical symptoms have a sudden onset that usually peak rapidly,
seizing the body and causing great discomfort. The cognitive symptoms
freeze the individual into a paralysis of fear and confusion. The
mind is overwhelmed with disturbing thoughts of paranoia, danger,
imminent death and most importantly, of going crazy.
Criteria for
Panic Attacks according to the DSM IV (Diagnostic and Statistical
Manual of Mental Disorders):
- palpitations,
pounding heart, or accelerated heart rate
- sweating
- trembling
or shaking
- sensations
of shortness of breath or smothering
- feeling of
choking
- chest pain
or discomfort
- nausea or
abdominal distress
- feeling dizzy,
unsteady, lightheaded or faint
- derealization
(feelings of unreality) or depersonalization (feeling detached
from oneself)
- fear of losing
control or going crazy
- fear of dying
- parasthesias
(numbness or tingling sensations)
- chills or
hot flashes
What is Agoraphobia?
Agoraphobia,
(from the Greek root, "agora" meaning open market-place)
is a chief symptom of panic disorder. The essential feature of agoraphobia
(according to the DSM IV) is an ongoing anxiety about being in places
or situations from which escape might be difficult, or in which
help may not be available, or most importantly, situations that
may be potentially embarrassing. What typically follows is extreme
avoidance behavior around these designated places or situations.
Usually, a history of panic attacks precedes symptoms of agoraphobia.
Many become housebound. Some get opposite effect and experience
claustrophobic symptoms.
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