Signs
& Symptoms of Panic
Attacks
Many
people experience
panic attacks without
further episodes or
complications. There
is little reason to
worry if you’ve had
just one or two panic
attacks. However,
some people who’ve
experienced panic
attacks go on to
develop panic
disorder. Panic
disorder is
characterized by
repeated panic
attacks, combined
with major changes in
behavior or
persistent anxiety
over having further
attacks.
You
may be suffering from
panic disorder if
you:
-
Experience frequent,
unexpected panic attacks
that aren’t tied to a
specific situation.
- Worry a lot about having
another panic attack.
- Are behaving differently
because of the panic
attacks, such as avoiding
places where you’ve
previously
panicked.
While
a single panic attack
may only last a few
minutes, the effects
of the experience can
leave a lasting
imprint. If you have
panic disorder, the
recurrent panic
attacks take an
emotional toll. The
memory of the intense
fear and terror that
you felt during the
attacks can
negatively impact
your self-confidence
and cause serious
disruption to your
everyday life.
Eventually, this
leads to the
following panic
disorder
symptoms:
-
Anticipatory
anxiety –
Instead of feeling
relaxed and like
yourself in between
panic attacks, you
feel anxious and
tense. This anxiety
stems from a fear of
having future panic
attacks. This “fear
of fear” is present
most of the time, and
can be extremely
disabling.
-
Phobic
avoidance –
You begin to avoid
certain situations or
environments. This
avoidance may be
based on the belief
that the situation
you’re avoiding
caused a previous
panic attack. Or you
may avoid places
where escape would be
difficult or help
would be unavailable
if you had a panic
attack. Taken to its
extreme, phobic
avoidance becomes
agoraphobia.
|