Panic Disorder – widely known as panic attacks or anxiety attacks has plagued the lives of many people. A lot of people undergo therapy under a psychiatrist to relieve themselves of their condition. Whether, you take to therapy or not, it is important you understand the true cause of panic disorders so that you will know if your treatment is in the right direction.
Some people experience sensations like having a heart attack, dizziness, feeling like dying, choking etc. The most important thing to know is that panic disorder is a mental condition and it has nothing to do with the physical body. Once, the mental condition is fixed, you will notice all your scary symptoms disappear.
Having a little bit of anxiety is the survival mechanism in humans that protects us from possible danger by ringing an alarm bell when there is any danger around. Unfortunately, when this anxiety level exceeds the normal acceptable level, it manifests itself as panic disorders or general anxiety disorder.
How the mind perceives any situation or condition is what decides the anxiety level that one experiences. Sometimes, the mind perceives going to a crowded street to be a possible danger; getting caught in a traffic signal could be perceived as a possible danger; possibility of having to give a speech in public etc. For some people the above situations are just a normal act, but for others suffering panic disorder, their mind gives it a meaning of ‘Danger’ and it triggers all the bodily sensations associated with danger (rush of adrenaline, heavy breathing, rise in heart beat etc.)
Now that we know that panic disorders are as a result of the meaning that the mind gives to life situations, you can begin the recovery process with this understanding and training your mind to trust that there is no real danger in the situations so that the physical sensations disappear.
It is very important to choose the right treatment for panic disorders. Medication is never a solution as it is only meant to treat the symptoms and not the actual cause. Further, medication becomes addictive and will create more anxiety than what you already have.