Do You Have Panic Attack Disorder??
Not everyone who experiences panic attacks has panic disorder. There is a criteria that is need to be met in order for you to have "panic disorder".
Even if you do not have Panic Disorder, and only experience attacks, you can still benefit from the treatment. If attacks are not treated
there is a possibility that they will get worse and you may develop the disorder and/or phobias.
- Recurrent unexpected panic attacks
- At least one of the attacks has been followed by 1 month (or more) of one (or more) of the following:
- Persistent concern about having additional attacks
- Worry about the implications of the attack or its consequences (e.g., losing control, having a heart attack, "going crazy")
- A significant change in behavior related to the attacks
- Absence of Agoraphobia.
- The Panic Attacks are not due to the direct physiological effects of a substance (e.g., a drug of abuse, a medication) or a general medical condition (e.g., hyperthyroidism).
- The Panic Attacks are not better accounted for by another mental disorder, such as social phobia (e.g., occurring on exposure to feared social situations),specific phobia (e.g., on exposure to a specific phobic situation), Obsessive- Compulsive disorder (e.g., on exposure to dirt in someone with an obsession about contamination),Post traumatic stress disorder (e.g., in response to stimuli associated with a severe stressor), or Separation anxiety disorder (e.g., in response to being away from home or close relatives).
Even if you do not have Panic Disorder, and only experience attacks, you can still benefit from the treatment. If attacks are not treated
there is a possibility that they will get worse and you may develop the disorder and/or phobias.
Procedures to recovery
There are quite a few ways to help with panic disorder. Exposure therapy is one, the person would be exposed to the physical sensations of panic in a safe and controlled environment, giving the person the opportunity to learn healthier ways of coping. Another way is cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), which is a psycho therapeutic treatment that helps the patient understand the thoughts, emotions and triggers before the attack. psychotherapy is similar to CBT but the patient talks about their anxiety and through discussing it gain a understanding of what is happening, making it easier to recover. These are all therapeutic ways of treating Panic disorder but there is also medications that you can ask your family doctor about that may also help substantially.