Anxiety Panic Disorder - Symptoms And Causes

By: PeterSligh Date: Fri, 3 Jul 2009 Time: 3:05 PM

Panic and anxiety disorders are chronic conditions that many people find crippling. They are real illnesses, much more overwhelming and unsettling than the normal anxiety we all experience from time to time. They can be treated and controlled.

Today this disorders are becoming more and more common. Our modern society with its fast pace and pressures to perform is no doubt heavily responsible for it. It is estimated that anxiety and panic disorders affect at least fifteen million Americans.

Anxiety is considered normal and even beneficial part of a human experience. It's a natural reaction to stress - it stimulates us to improve our performance and helps us to avoid dangerous situations. But when it becomes an excessive everyday companion, it has become a disabling disorder.

Signs and symptoms vary from person to person. Some may experience extreme attacks that strike without warning, some have a disabling fear of driving, others get panicky when socializing or being in a crowded space, and others live in a constant state of tension and fear. All have one thing in common: severe fear or phobia in situations where most people would be fine.

Symptoms vary depending on the type of disorder. They also vary in severity and duration. They may include chest pains, pounding heartbeat, fear of dying, tingling, numbness, fear of losing control, shortness of breath, lightheadedness, nausea, dreamlike sensations (derealisation, depersonalisation), sweating, headaches, tremors, twitches, muscle tension, and others. Many people mistake panic attacks for heart attacks.

What causes this disorders? They are caused by biological, psychological and environmental factors. Brain chemistry, personality, genetics and stressful environment all contribute to their development.

What's important to understand is that this debilitating conditions can be successfully treated. Regardless of what you have been led to believe, they can be cured or at least controlled and greatly improved.

Peter Sligh knows how it is to have an anxiety attack, but he learned to control them. If you would like to know how to manage with extreme panic disorder, take a look at how to eliminate panic.