Panic Disorder Symptoms

Do you know the Panic Disorder Symptoms?

If you suffer from panic attacks, you are most likely very familiar with the panic disorder symptoms leading up to, and during, the attack itself. These symptoms can begin as sudden feelings of terror that have no basis in fact.

There is no real way to predict when a panic attack will occur, and this can turn into one of the symptoms. The anxiety of wondering when the next attack will occur can make things worse.

Severity of panic disorder symptoms can vary from person to person, but they all include most of the same ones. People suffering from panic attacks will most likely experience pounding of the heart, and start to feel sweaty, faint, weak, or dizzy.

There may also be a feeling of numbness or tingling in the hands, along with a feeling of being flushed or chilled. It is common to have chest pains or a smothering sensation, accompanied by a feeling of unreality or fear that something awful is about to happen. You may actually feel you are having a heart attack, or that you are losing your mind. You may even feel that you are about to die.

While panic disorder symptoms can be quite unpleasant, they will usually only last for a couple of minutes. However, there are more severe attacks that can last as long as 10 minutes. Some rare attacks might last as long as an hour or longer.

There are some factors that can aggravate or instigate panic attacks. These conditions include depression or alcoholism. Phobias can develop from having panic attack disorder. The reason this usually happens is because panic attacks have happened in places or situations so there is a memory of these happening when the person is returned to that place or circumstance. For example, if you have suffered from a panic attack while riding an elevator, you may develop a fear of elevators because of it.

Between 3 and 6 million people in America suffer from panic disorder symptoms. This condition affects women twice as much as men. It has no age limits, as it can begin as early as childhood, or as late in life as in the elderly. However, it usually happens most often in young adults.

Everyone who has a panic attack does not always go on to have more of them. But if you find yourself having first one, and then more, you should not hesitate to get treatment.