Question
Panic Attacks
Discipline: Psychology
Type: Research paper
Paper Details: Need an essay about panic attacks or fight reflex
# of pages: 3
# of sources: 4
Paper Format: APA
Additional Details: I want a simple straight forward explanation of the topic.
Please use
credible sources for this paper. Need title page.
NB: 275 words per page
Answer
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Contents
Panic attacks are characterized by unexpected episodes of fear that occur unexpectedly. This is a psychological disorder whereby the feelings of fear are accompanied by many symptoms, including heart palpitations, chest pain, dizziness, abdominal distress and shortness of breath. Although panic attacks are very frightening, they are physically harmless.
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In most cases, panic attacks occur randomly although at times, some events may “trigger” this psychological condition (Clark, 1988). The attacks reach the highest intensity very quickly and then fade away within a short time. If possible, medical help may be necessary for this condition to ease off quickly.
Research has shown that 5% of the population experiences panic attacks at some point in their lifetimes (Klerman, et al. 1991). Panic attacks have been linked with panic disorder. This is why people with this problem should seek the attention of a qualified mental health professional.
Causes of panic attacks
Like all other behavioral illnesses, many factors can cause panic attacks. Additionally, certain evidence indicates that the conditions can be inherited. A very common cause of panic attacks is a scenario where one develops a learned response. If the certain set of conditions are met, even otherwise healthy people may start suffering from panic attacks. More research is ongoing in order for the causes of these attacks to be understood better.
Panic disorder, though a separate diagnosis, is related to panic attacks. People who suffer from repeated panic attacks are likely to be diagnosed with the illness, which is believed to be largely an inheritance problem.
Symptoms of panic attacks
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV, the official publication of the American Psychiatric Association, defines panic attacks as discrete period characterized by intense fear and discomfort in which many symptoms, including palpitations, sweating, shaking, trembling, choking feelings, shortness of breath, nausea, chest pain, dizziness, chills and tingling sensations abruptly develop and then attain the highest intensity in 10 minutes.
When the symptoms are being experienced, the attacks become very disabling. In some cases, the patient will find it impossible to explain to others what he is going through. The person appears thoroughly terrified and shaky. A doctor will easily identify the problem of hyperventilation, a situation whereby dizziness is caused by breathing deeply and rapidly. Recent research puts forth a suggestion that men may sometimes experience different symptoms from women in the course of panics. Among women, respiratory symptoms have been noted to predominate(Clark, et al. 1985).
The need for medical care
It is often easy to confuse panic attacks with serious medical conditions such as asthma, heart attack or an endocrine emergency (Clark, 1988.). It is therefore important for the cause of one’s distress to be properly determined. A medical professional is the only authority who can accurately diagnose a panic attack. Everyone who suffers from panic attacks requires some form of professional medical evaluation. The only exception is the case of a healthy person with a history of panic attacks, and who seems to be going through a typical panic attack.
Evaluation of panic attacks always depends on various factors. Due to the urgency of the situation, doctors often have no option but to use diagnosis of exclusion, whereby all other possible causes are considered and then completely ruled out before the doctor can be completely comfortable with the panic attack diagnosis.
A thorough physical examination is needed since some serious conditions can mimic panic attacks, resulting in a regrettable situation where a doctor misses a very important diagnosis. For this reason, doctors always take time to enquire about the patient’s medical history, any past surgeries and mental health history. Doctors also enquire about any medications the patient may be taking and the dosage information relating to the medications.
In order to determine whether the panic attacks are inherited, a doctor will enquire about the family’s history with the condition. Information on the patient’s use of drugs and alcohol is also sought(Breslau, N. and K. Donald, 1999). Truth in the process of giving all this information is very important since it determines the outcome of diagnosis.
A typical physical examination targets all vital organs, including a neurologic exam for determining whether the patient’s system is functioning in the right way. The doctor has to apply the best judgment regarding ordering tests. A heart tracing test might be necessary depending on the symptoms being experienced by the panic attacks patient.
If the doctor feels that the cause of the symptoms might be a medical disorder, he might order drug screens, blood tests, x-rays, urine tests and CT scans. In cases where the person seems to have a family history of chronic seizures which are more severe than panic attacks, he should be evaluated by a neurologist.
Additionally, it is important for medical professionals to distinguish between partial seizures and panic attacks, both of which display a subtle form of overlap during diagnosis but each of which requires a different medication. Once a neurologist is consulted, he might decide to order an electroencephalogram (EEG), a test that checks for activity of seizures in the brain. Once the doctor is comfortable with the panic attacks diagnosis, the medication process often proceeds without any major challenges.
References
Breslau, N. and K. Donald, 1999. Smoking and Panic Attacks: An Epidemiologic Investigation: Arch Gen Psychiatry. 56 (12) p. 1141-1147.
Clark, D. 1988. A cognitive model of panic attacks. Panic: Psychological perspectives. Hillsdale: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Clark, D. et al. 1985. Respiratory control as a treatment for panic attacks. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry. Vol 16(1), p. 23-30.
Klerman, G. et al. 1991. Panic Attacks in the Community: Social Morbidity and Health Care Utilization. Journal of the American Medical Association. 265(6) p. 742-746.