Imagine sitting in a room full of your coworkers during a meeting. Out of nowhere you feel a sudden pressure in your chest and your throat starts to tighten. He feels weak, almost passed out, as his breathing becomes labored and labored.
Alarmed and confused, your mind races with the possibilities. What is happening to me? Is it a heart attack? stroke?
As your mind wrestles with the possibilities, you are overwhelmed by a deep sense of dread and fear. You start to sweat and your heart beats faster. His quickly drying throat makes swallowing difficult. When you reach for your water bottle, you realize, to your dismay, that it is already empty.
You start to scan the room around you looking for the nearest exit. You feel like everyone is watching you. You have to get out… quick!
Welcome to America’s burgeoning secret mental illness:
Panic attacks.
Panic attacks are a byproduct of our increasing levels of anxiety over issues like money, job insecurity, and rent or mortgage payments. When our overall stress levels rise, we worry and lose sleep, raising our risk of anxiety and panic attacks.
Chances are if you haven’t experienced a panic attack you yourself know someone who has. Or you?
Studies show that approximately 6 million American adults suffer from panic disorder1, which is defined as a recurring pattern of panic attacks that lasts for at least one month. Panic disorder is classified as a Mental illness when the condition causes enough distress to reduce one’s ability to function socially, occupationally, or psychologically.
What that statistic doesn’t show, however, is the millions of additional people who suffer in silence; trapped in their own anxious prison. The truth is, panic attacks and panic disorder are a secret hellhole for many people too reluctant, embarrassed, or embarrassed to admit it.
Panic sufferers often build defensive walls around themselves in an effort to isolate and protect their own delicate environment. They try to hide the problem from family, coworkers, friends, and even from themselves. This can lead to social isolation, avoidance, and agoraphobia, a condition in which the individual avoids places or circumstances for fear of panic attacks. Left unaddressed, these walls can close in to the point where the only perceived safe sanctuary is one’s own home.
In some cases, people are afraid to admit panic disorder for fear of losing their job. For example, a policeman or firefighter whose ability to remain calm under fire is a matter of life and death. Or an airplane pilot who is responsible for the lives of dozens of people every day.
For others, the secret of their panic attack is a much more personal matter, like a victim of abuse or a veteran returning home from war. Statistically, women are twice as likely as men to develop panic disorder. A recently published study in the General Psychiatry Archives it even suggested a link between panic attacks in postmenopausal women and heart disease. That is a scary thing.
Panic patients who are reluctant to talk about their problem or seek treatment are much more at risk for other problems such as depression, drug abuse, or alcoholism. Most simply look for a private coping mechanism to get through the day.
So why is panic disorder on the rise in our country? Do you really need to ask? Look at the way we live.
Americans work more hours and take less time off each year than any other country in the world. Many of us cram as many daily activities as humanly possible into our personal and professional lives. We arm ourselves with electronics and gadgets designed to simplify our lives, but they only end up exacerbating our stressful multitasking craze. Case in point: texting while driving.
Even when we take vacation time, we rarely act like the happy-go-lucky couple in the Corona commercials. BlackBerry, laptop and cell phone usually accompany us on the trip and are among the first items we unpack. I doubt many Americans will emulate the Corona guy and jump their beeper buzzers into the Pacific.
But it’s not just our busy, technologically enhanced lives that increase anxiety and panic. Some of us are unlucky enough to inherit the disorder. Due to the relative secrecy of panic disorder, many patients do not learn of the family history until long after the fact. Let’s face it: It’s not exactly a family topic freely discussed by Grandpa over Thanksgiving dinner, is it?
For every panic disorder sufferer, there are many other people who develop situational panic attacks that cause anxiety in certain situations, such as crowded places or fear of getting on an airplane or elevator.
The fact is that panic disorder is one of the most treatable of all anxiety disorders. When panic sufferers finally admit there is a problem and seek treatment, many are surprised when several friends, family members, or co-workers come forward to admit they have the exact same problem. It is more common than you think. Shhhhhhh…spread the word.
References:
1. Kessler RC, Chiu WT, Demler O, Walters EE. Twelve-month prevalence, severity, and comorbidity of DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R). Archives of General Psychiatry 2005 Jun;62(6):617-27.