Psychology for Everyone

Panic disorder – one type of anxiety

From the book – Chapter 8: Anxiety Disorders

Panic disorder

Panic attack symptoms may include: palpitations or pounding heart; sweating, trembling, shaking; shortness of breath or feeling smothered; chest pain; nausea or abdominal distress; dizziness, light-headedness, faintness; chills or heat; numbness or tingling; fear of losing control, "going crazy", or dying.

In panic disorder the person worries about having more attacks and may change behaviour to prevent them (avoiding exercise, certain places, or situations).

Panic attacks are extremely uncomfortable but not dangerous in themselves; however, they should be medically evaluated to rule out heart or other physical problems.

Read the full chapter – Chapter 8: Anxiety Disorders

Stories from real life

  • The Night My Heart Raced – Arjun, twenty-nine, was in a crowded Mumbai local train when his heart suddenly pounded, his hands tingled, his chest tightened and he felt sure he was…
  • What If Tonight Goes Wrong? – Meera is a forty-two-year-old mother in Hyderabad who cannot remember the last day she did not worry. What if her son fails? What if her husband's…
  • The Back Row – Tomás, nineteen, studies engineering in Lisbon. He is clever, but he sits at the back of every class, never asks a question and hurries out. Eating…
  • The Lizard on the Wall – Sunita, thirty-eight, lives in a village near Nashik and cares for her family with great energy, except when a lizard appears. Last month one dropped near…

Shloks

  • Bhagavad Gita 6.34 – The mind is restless, agitating, strong and stubborn. To hold it, I think, is as hard as to hold the wind.

More on this topic: Anxiety, panic attacks and fear – signs, causes and what helps

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