Panic Disorders Paper

Fear is a feeling that everyone experiences from time to time. The effects of fear such as sweaty palms, a racing heart, and an adrenaline rush are all normal responses of the body and these responses prove to be extremely useful when an individual is faced with an extremely dangerous or scary situation. However, some people have these rushes of extreme stress and panic randomly without any warning while they are going about their day. These types of panic responses are called panic attacks and when these panic attacks are reoccurring and begin to interfere with an individual’s everyday functioning they become what is known as panic disorder. Panic disorders are a common type of disorder among people living in the United States as well as people that live in other countries. They are characterized by …show more content…
A panic attack is the sudden sensation of extreme fear and distress that reaches a high in a matter of minutes. These surges of fear can occur when the individual is in an anxious state or a calm state (American Psychiatric Association, 2013a). During this peak of anxiety, certain symptoms must be present in order to characterize the attack as a panic attack that is part of panic disorder. According to the DSM (5th edition) four or more of the following symptoms are mandatory in order to be diagnosed with panic disorder. These symptoms include, Palpitations, pounding heart, or accelerated heart rate./ Sweating./ Trembling or shaking./ Sensations of shortness of breath or smothering./ Feelings of choking./ Chest pain or discomfort./ Nausea or abdominal distress./ Feeling dizzy, unstable, light-headed, or faint./ Chills or heat sensations./ Paresthesias (feelings of unreality) or depersonalization (being attached from one-self)./ Fear of losing control or “going crazy.”/ Fear of dying (American Psychiatric Association,