Panic Disorder .. .When Wires Get Crossed in Our Sympathetic Nervous System
Panic Disorder . . . When the Wires Get Crossed in Our Sympathetic Nervous System
It all begins when the heart starts racing and then pounds as if coming out of the chest. A lump forms in the throat and the mouth becomes dry, making it hard to swallow. Breathing becomes shallow and labored, it’s hard to catch a deep breath, and a feeling of being smothered overwhelms. Trembling, hot flushes, cold sweats, numbness in the arms or legs and dizziness envelop the targeted victim. A tight knot forms in the stomach, perhaps some nausea too. These sensations all come on suddenly and unexpectedly, with little to no warning. What is happening? Is this a heart attack and is medical attention needed, perhaps a trip to the emergency room? Episodes such as this are often mistaken as a heart attack, and many individuals who experience this do wind up going into the emergency room. Actually, what is happening are the classic symptoms of a panic attack. Panic (or anxiety) attacks are a reaction to complex chemicals and hormones of the Sympathetic Nervous System which have become unbalanced.
For anyone who has experienced a panic attack, it is something they do not ever want to repeat. Fortunately, for most, an occasional panic attack is all they will ever experience. Although not pleasant, it is manageable because as quickly as it occurs, it will also pass. However, for some who are less fortunate, panic attacks occur more frequently and may eventually develop into an anxiety disorder. Although not fatal, anxiety disorders can significantly affect a person’s quality of life. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, anxiety disorders affect approximately 18% of the population of the United States and are considered to be the most common mental illness in the U.S. When we consider that one in four adults will be diagnosed with a mental illness sometime in their life, one has to consider anxiety disorders as a problematic illness.
It all begins when the heart starts racing and then pounds as if coming out of the chest. A lump forms in the throat and the mouth becomes dry, making it hard to swallow. Breathing becomes shallow and labored, it’s hard to catch a deep breath, and a feeling of being smothered overwhelms. Trembling, hot flushes, cold sweats, numbness in the arms or legs and dizziness envelop the targeted victim. A tight knot forms in the stomach, perhaps some nausea too. These sensations all come on suddenly and unexpectedly, with little to no warning. What is happening? Is this a heart attack and is medical attention needed, perhaps a trip to the emergency room? Episodes such as this are often mistaken as a heart attack, and many individuals who experience this do wind up going into the emergency room. Actually, what is happening are the classic symptoms of a panic attack. Panic (or anxiety) attacks are a reaction to complex chemicals and hormones of the Sympathetic Nervous System which have become unbalanced.
For anyone who has experienced a panic attack, it is something they do not ever want to repeat. Fortunately, for most, an occasional panic attack is all they will ever experience. Although not pleasant, it is manageable because as quickly as it occurs, it will also pass. However, for some who are less fortunate, panic attacks occur more frequently and may eventually develop into an anxiety disorder. Although not fatal, anxiety disorders can significantly affect a person’s quality of life. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, anxiety disorders affect approximately 18% of the population of the United States and are considered to be the most common mental illness in the U.S. When we consider that one in four adults will be diagnosed with a mental illness sometime in their life, one has to consider anxiety disorders as a problematic illness.
Cited: Anxiety and Depression Association of America. Facts and Statistics, 2010-2013, Web. June 18, 2013. Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Heart Disease, n.d. Web. June 18, 2013 Anxiety Centre. Anxiety Disorders, 1987-2013. Web. June 22, 2013. U.S. National Institutes of Health. National Institute of Mental Health. Anxiety Disorders. n.d. Web. June 21, 2013. Wilson PhD, Reid. Don’t’ Panic, Third Edition. New York: Harper Collins, 2009. Print. Hart, Archibald D. The Anxiety Cure. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1999. Print.