Panic Disorders Symptoms.org

I thought I was immune to things like this. Then one day it happened. Out of the blue … like being struck by lightening. That was four and a  half years ago. I didn’t think it would ever go away. Anxiety panic when will it ever end. The doctors- well they tried but after two long years I gave up on them. That’s when I started searching on my own for a cure for my panic attacks and the anxiety that went with them.
I finally found a cure. I don’t know if it will work for you but it did for me. The main thing is not to give up. We are all different. What works for me may not work for you. But your cure is out there.

You don’t know what it feels like until it happens to you.

If you suffer from anxiety, panic attacks, or phobias of any kind, the below is probably all too familiar to you…

* Feeling depressed about how bad your world has gotten.* Scary, anxious thoughts running through your head that you just can’t seem to control.
* Feeling constantly on edge, like your anxiety is stalking you and could pounce at any time.
* Feeling disconnected from reality and spacey, almost like you’re in a dream.
* Feeling like you’re about to lose control and do something dangerous or embarrassing, wondering if the next time you’ll be strong enough to keep it contained.
* Getting light headed or dizzy and feeling like you’re going to pass out.
* Feeling trapped in situations you can’t ‘escape’ from…things like driving, restaurants, social functions, or even standing in line at the checkout counter!
* Worrying you’ll stop breathing because your chest and throat feel so tight and you can’t seem to slow your breathing.
* Going to the hospital or doctor fearing a heart condition or other emergency to have them find nothing physically wrong with you.
* Being terrified to think that if you don’t get help soon you’re going to have to live your whole life being afraid?

What is Anxiety? (Generalized Anxiety Disorder)

Anxiety is a normal reaction to stress. It helps us deal with tense situations in the office, study harder for an exam, keep focused on an important speech. In general, it helps us cope. But when our anxiety becomes an excessive, irrational dread of everyday situations, it has become a disabling anxiety disorder.

Generalized anxiety disorder or GAD is characterized by excessive, exaggerated anxiety and worry about everyday life events. Anxiety can be accompanied by physical effects such as heart palpitations, nausea, chest pain, shortness of breath, stomach aches, or headaches. Physically, the body prepares to deal with what it perceives as a threat. Blood pressure and heart rate are increased, sweating is increased, blood flow to muscle groups increases and immune and digestive system functions are inhibited (the fight or flight response). External signs of anxiety may include pale skin, sweating, trembling and many others. Someone suffering from anxiety might also experience it as a sense of dread or panic.
People with symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder tend to always expect disaster and can’t stop worrying about health, money, family, work or school. In people with GAD, the worry often is unrealistic or out of proportion for the situation. Daily life becomes a constant state of worry, fear and dread.

* Sweating
* Difficulty concentrating
* Nausea
*The need to go to the bathroom frequently
* Tiredness
* Trouble falling or staying asleep
* Trembling
* Being easily startled
* Excessive, ongoing worry and tension
* An unrealistic view of problems
* Restlessness or a feeling of being “edgy”
* Irritability
* Muscle tension
* Headaches

Panic Attacks ( Panic Disorder Symptoms )

Panic Attacks are sudden surges of overwhelming fear that come with little or no warning and without any recognizable reason. It is much more intense than having anxiety or the feeling of being ’stressed out’ that many of us experience. One out of every 75 people worldwide will experience panic attacks at sometime in their lives.

People who have full-blown, repeated panic attacks can become very disabled by their condition and should seek treatment before they start to avoid places or situations where panic attacks have occurred. For example, if a panic attack happened in an elevator, someone with panic disorder may develop a fear of elevators that could affect the choice of a job or an apartment, and restrict where that person can seek medical attention or enjoy entertainment

Panic attacks are not dangerous, but they can be terrifying, largely because it feels ‘crazy’ and ‘out of control.’ Panic disorder is frightening because of the panic attacks associated with it, and also because it often leads to other complications such as phobias, depression, substance abuse, medical complications, even suicide.

The fear and terror that a person experiences during a panic attack are not in proportion to the true situation and may be unrelated to what is happening around them. Most people with panic attacks experience similar symptoms as those with GAD several of the following panic disorder symptoms including these:

* Sense of terror, of impending doom or death
* Feeling sweaty or having chills
* Chest pains
* Breathing difficulties
* Feeling a loss of control
* “Racing” heart
* Feeling weak, faint, or dizzy
* Tingling or numbness in the hands and fingers

Panic attacks are usually brief, lasting less than ten minutes, although some of the symptoms may persist for a longer time. People who have had one panic attack are at greater risk for having subsequent panic attacks than those who have never experienced a panic attack. When the attacks occur repeatedly, a person is considered to have a condition known as Panic Disorder.

Anxiety and Panic Attacks Facts

In any given year,some 40 million American adults 18 years and older are affected by anxiety disorders. This startling data means that anxiety disorders cost the United States more than $42 billion dollars a year. According to “The Economic Burden of Anxiety Disorders”, a study commissioned by the ADAA and published in The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, Vol. 60, No. 7 July 1999 this is almost 1/3 of the country’s $148 billion total health bill. Those with anxiety disorders are three to five times more likely to seek medical treatment and six times more likely to be hospitalized for psychiatric disorders than people that do not suffer from anxiety.

Approximately 6.8 million people are affected by (GAD) Generalized Anxiety Disorder, 6 million by anxiety attacks and panic attacks, 7.7 million by Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, 15 million by social anxiety disorder, 2.2 million by OCD, and 19 million by Specific Phobia. Anxiety attacks and panic attacks are the most common emotional disorders and are more common than bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcohol abuse or depression. People with Anxiety and panic attacks seek relief for symptoms that mimic physical illnesses which total more than $22.84 billion and are associated with repeated use of health care services.

I invite you to take your time and read the  comprehensive information I have gathered over the years so you can make an informed decision as to the best course of treatment that would best fit you.