Essay On Panic Attack

Liz has presented a plethora of symptoms that suggest she experienced an unexpected panic attack. Liz’s first cognitive symptom was her fear of “going crazy” as a result of her adverse physical reaction. Her secondary symptoms of an increased heart rate and shaking are the psychical manifestations of a panic attack. Her fourth symptom of depersonalization was verbalized as “feeling outside of my body”. These psychical and cognitive symptoms fulfill four of the thirteen diagnostic criteria that categorize a panic attack. Her intense discomfort reached a peak and ended within thirty minutes following in line with the diagnosis. While Liz’s symptoms are similar to a panic disorder, however, they do no appear to be recurrent, therefore, the diagnosis is ruled out. It ought to be noted that the diagnosis of a panic attack is not a disorder but rather occurs in the context of a mental disorder (American Psychological Association, 2013).
Panic attacks without panic disorder and without agoraphobia have a lifetime prevalence rate of 22.7 percent, and women have elevated odds of experiencing a panic attack (Craske, 2010). Age of onset of the first-lifetime panic attack …show more content…
Liz’s symptoms are triggered by school-related stress and inadequate family dynamics. In order to evaluate the role of the family, a psychiatrist ought to observe the binge eater consuming a meal with family. Considering Liz’s sexuality, it ought to be noted that lesbian and bisexual women with eating disorders have a heightened risk of developing a mood disorder than lesbian and bisexual women who did not have an eating disorder (2015). Binge eating generates emotional numbness, however following the binge, the individual’s negative mood returns with elevated intensity (Kearney, 2014). Liz felt temporary relief from her binge but found herself struggling immediately following