Fear Fear

2024 Author: Harry Day | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 15:43

Panic disorder has become almost an epidemic in the modern world. Its main characteristic is the presence of repeated and unexpected panic attacks.

At what age does panic disorder appear?

Although panic disorder usually first appears in late adolescence or early adulthood, in some cases it can appear in childhood or even into adulthood.

What is a panic attack?

Panic attack is defined as an episode of intense fear or discomfort that occurs suddenly and peaks within ten minutes and is accompanied by at least four of the following symptoms: shortness of breath, palpitations, tremors, sweating, asphyxiation, nausea and abdominal discomfort, depersonalization, paresthesia (i.e. tingling), chest pain, hot flashes or chills, fear of death, fear of going crazy or losing control.

Panic attack itself is not a pathology, but a simple response to stress.

When does the problem occur? Fear of fear

The problem arises when a person fears that the panic attack may repeat itself over and over again.

It is not panic attacks that should be treated, but panic disorder, a vicious cycle of "fear of fear."

It should also be said that the frequency of panic attacks among people with panic disorder varies widely, from many episodes per day to several episodes per year.

Panic attacks occur when people perceive certain physical symptoms or bodily sensations as much more dangerous than they actually are, and therefore interpret them as signals of impending and sudden catastrophe. This is the classic fear of fear.

For example, a person may have a panic attack if they misinterpret their heartbeat as a sign of an impending heart attack, or feeling nervous as an initial symptom of loss of control or insanity.

A panic attack develops when a threatening stimulus creates a state of intense anxiety. Further, if the person interprets their somatic physical sensations as catastrophic, they will experience further increased anxiety. Thus, somatic sensations will continue to increase until a real panic attack breaks out.

A similar scenario for panic attacks

The causes of a panic attack can be very different, and the scenario that supports panic disorder is a vicious circle that is very similar in all cases.

Consequently, there will be similar methods and strategies that can break this vicious cycle of fear of fear in all people with this disorder.

Effective methods of relief from panic disorder were developed by Professor J. Nardone and his team of employees in the framework of short-term strategic therapy.