Introduction
Human responsibilities in the modern world reflect many opportunities for anxiety and increased stress. Areas of life such as work, study, and communication with other people, relatives, family, and others can become causes of anxiety. In this paper, the psychological problem of a type of anxiety, which is panic disorder, will be considered.
The effects on the human body, side effects, and symptoms in others will be determined using different articles and books. As a purpose of the paper, it is necessary to state that it is aimed at drawing attention to the problem of panic disorder and, particularly, panic attacks by focusing on adverse effects on the body and all human life. Moreover, the paper’s purpose is to highlight panic disorder’s threat to human health and its possibility to arise without particular reason, be transmitted through inheritance, and cause new diseases.
Description of Panic Disorder and Its Consequences
To describe and analyze one of the psychological disorders, panic disorder was chosen. First, it is essential to emphasize that this psychological condition applies to anxiety disorders. The main element of this state is a panic attack, which provides a particular response of the organism to specific events, such as negative thoughts (Doweiko & Evans, n.d.).
According to Miller (2021), “panic attacks are a type of anxiety disorder, a mental health condition involving more anxiety, fear, or usual worry than is usual” (p. 8). Therefore, when determining panic disorder, it should be noted that a significant number of panic attacks contribute to this state of a person. Noteworthy is that one of the characteristic features of the disease is the possibility of panic attacks without a specific reason, only in consequence of certain human thoughts (Peterson, 2019). However, the human body and its response to these thoughts cause particular symptoms, such as trembling and sweating.
A critical concomitant of panic disorder is the belief that no one can help the person with their anxiety. This factor has a highly adverse effect as it worsens the effect of panic attacks on the body (Carbonell, 2022). The consequence of this problem directly impacts human health, expressed in the weakening of the immune system (Miller, 2021).
In addition to panic disorder, the person becomes more prone to other diseases, making the overall situation even more dangerous. It is important to emphasize that this is a common problem, as many factors in a person’s life can cause anxiety and stress. As Miller (2021) states, “more than 40 million adults in the United States have some sort of anxiety disorder, and about 2.4 million of them have a panic disorder” (p. 10). In addition, as Schiele and Domschke (2018) and Bögels et al. (2018) state in their articles, anxiety disease can be inherited or significantly caused by the relationships between parents and children. Therefore, these factors are critical for researching the peculiarities of panic disorder and should be taken into account to combat and reduce this disease.
The DSM-5 Criteria for Panic Disorder
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5), is vital for assessing and analyzing various mental disorders and diseases. It will allow for consistent and qualitative determination of the features and nuances of panic disorder. This issue has many psychological symptoms and fears, such as loss of mind control or fear of death (Doweiko & Evans, n.d.).
At the same time, a person’s feelings are heightened, and they perceive various stimuli or facts from life as critical and negative (Peterson, 2019). It is crucial to define the time frame of panic disease, which lasts for about a month, including various psychological side effects such as the fear of panic attacks reoccurring (Carbonell, 2022). It is important to note that panic disorder can be accompanied by the phenomenon of agoraphobia, which causes fear when a person is in certain circumstances (Carbonell, 2022). This treatment of the disease, following the DSM-5 criteria, provides a more complete understanding of panic disorder.
Signs and Symptoms of the Disorder
In addition to the psychological symptoms of panic disorder, there are also many physical signs of this disease. In particular, symptoms include body shaking, increased sweating, and pain in various body parts, such as the abdomen or chest (Peterson, 2019). In making sense of psychiatric diagnosis, the author, Peterson (2019), concludes that physical symptoms arising from panic disorder are a sign of “a drop in levels of carbon dioxide in the blood, which then fuels a number of the other symptoms” (p. 12).
Given this factor, a patient with panic disorder needs to undergo quality medical examinations. Medical tests, such as blood tests, will be an essential step in determining the presence of the disease (Stech et al., 2019). Therefore, when solving the panic disorder problem, it is necessary to pay attention to physical and psychological signs and ask the person what is bothering them.
The Most Common Treatments for Panic Disorder
Considering the most common treatments for panic disorder, it is necessary to explore the peculiarities of how humanity dealt with the coronavirus pandemic. Notably, a significant number of people worldwide experienced increased anxiety while staying at home. The lack of communication with others and the fear of the pandemic’s outcomes have influenced the stability and resistance of many. Therefore, panic attacks increased in quantity, and healthcare providers needed to find a specific method to solve this problem. As a result, modern technologies were applied, and the cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) method was established (Efron & Wootton, 2021).
This approach assumes the application of remote technologies. The study of Efron and Wootton (2021) proved the effectiveness of panic disorder treatments such as internet-delivered CBT, videoconferencing-delivered CBT, and bibliotherapy-delivered CBT (Efron & Wootton, 2021). It is important to emphasize that these methods are effective in providing remote assistance to people suffering from panic attacks and allowing better management of psychological symptoms.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is essential to emphasize that anxiety is associated with many diseases. However, panic disorder, caused by a significant number of panic attacks, is not only one of the most critical but also one of the most common disorders. Through the use of scholarly articles, both symptoms and effective treatments, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, have been identified.
Noteworthy that panic disorder can occur for no particular reason and has critical consequences. Healthcare providers should apply modern technologies, as in the coronavirus pandemic, to establish qualitative and constant communication with patients with panic disorder. It will allow them to decrease their level of anxiety and provide specific remote care. Therefore, it is imperative to take adequate measures to reduce the various stressors and causes of this disorder to improve the well-being of the whole society.
References
Bögels, S. M., Maric, M., Telman, L.G.E., van Steensel, F.J.A. (2018). What are the odds of anxiety disorders running in families? A family study of anxiety disorders in mothers, fathers, and siblings of children with anxiety disorders. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 27, 615–624. Web.
Carbonell, D. (2022). Panic attacks workbook: A guided program for beating the panic trick, fully revised and updated. Ulysses Press.
Doweiko, H. E., & Evans, A. L. (n. d.). Concepts of chemical dependency [11th Ed.]. Cengage.
Efron, G., & Wootton, B. M. (2021). Remote cognitive behavioral therapy for panic disorder: A meta-analysis. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 79. Web.
Miller, V. (2021). I get panic attacks… what’s next? Rosen Publishing.
Peterson, A. L. (2019). Making sense of psychiatric diagnosis: Understanding the DSM-5. Mental Health @ Home Books.
Schiele, M.A. and Domschke, K. (2018), Epigenetics at the crossroads between genes, environment and resilience in anxiety disorders. Genes, Brain and Behavior, 17. Web.
Stech, E. P., Lim, J., Upton, E. L., & Newby, J. M. (2019). Internet-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy for panic disorder with or without agoraphobia: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, 49(4). Web.