Panic Attack: A Real Illness With A Sense Of Unreality
It’s like having a heart attack. Your hands feel numb, your heart is racing that you have difficulty breathing, and a feeling of terror strike suddenly and repeatedly without any warning. A panic attack is almost like a violent experience. You may feel disconnected from reality. In between attacks, there is dread and anxiety that it’s going to happen again.
Panic attacks are symptoms of panic disorder, a type of anxiety disorder affecting millions of adults in the U.S. today. It usually develops during the late teens and early adulthood, and may afflict twice as many women as men. However, not everyone who experiences panic attacks will develop panic disorder. While the exact cause of panic disorder is yet to be known, researchers suspect a combination of biological and environmental factors may contribute to the development of the condition. It includes family history, stressful life events, drug and alcohol abuse, and thinking patterns that exaggerated normal physical reactions.
Though panic attacks usually produce a sense of unreality, it is a real illness that can be treated...