With the pace of our lifestyles and the vast amounts of stress experienced in today's society, disorders over every variety have become somewhat of a regular occurrence.
But what are the symptoms of panic disorder and how do you distinguish normal everyday stress from something which needs to be treated with medication and psychotherapy? This type of disorder is mostly categorized by panic attacks - an experience most suffers will deal with for anything from a few minutes to as long as a few hours.
While we all battle with stress on a daily basis, people who have a panic disorder experience the sensations of stress on a very intense level and these attacks can last anything from a few minutes to a few hours.
Increased heart beat, sweating, shaking, choking, nausea, abdominal discomfort, dizziness - it doesn't sound like a lot of fun, does it? These are just some of the symptoms people with a panic disorder have to deal with whenever they experience a panic attack.
Diagnosing this disorder can be tricky at times since the symptoms of panic disorder are based on the sufferers experience and emotional state and there is no "test" (like a blood test) to confirm suspicions.
If you are frequently suffering from panic attacks (classed by the symptoms above) or you are concerned about something bringing on another panic attack you might need to seek professional help.
If places where you have previously suffered a panic attack make you worry or you are avoiding these places you might suffer from panic disorder.
These symptoms are also referred to as anticipatory anxiety or phobic anxiety but it is very important to remember that one should never attempt self-diagnoses.
If you are concerned contact your health professional and schedule an appointment.