If you’ve ever had a panic attack, you know how scary it can be.
The racing heart, shortness of breath, lightheadedness, feeling warm and disconnected from your body come on suddenly. Whether it’s brought on by the thought of getting into a car, a small space like an elevator or any situation, the experience can be terrifying.
“About a third of the people you see on the street will experience anxiety at some point in their life,” says Bethany J. Price, PhD, a clinical psychologist at NorthShore University HealthSystem in Chicago. Women tend to be more susceptible to anxiety disorders than men, and they can happen at any age.
Although it’s a common condition, panic disorder is usually not very well understood by the person experiencing panic, and that’s where the fear comes in, says Dr. Price. “People think something is horribly wrong, that they’re going crazy or even dying.” A common response is to try to escape the situation. Some people develop agoraphobia and avoid leaving the house for fear they’ll have a panic attack. The longer it’s untreated, the more severe it can become.
The good news is that people with panic disorder tend to have great outcomes following treatment. “I do tend to see a lot of women in their 30s, 40s and 50s who when they start seeing changes (eg, hormonal changes, including those common in menopause or pregnancy; everyday shifts in body weight, digestion or temperature; or even additional stressors in our environment) that can trigger panic,” she says.
The good news is that people with panic disorder tend to have great outcomes following treatment.
Price makes sure patients understand what’s happening in their body with each symptom. Panic is an adaptive response related to fight or flight that is kicked into overdrive. Panic disorder occurs when panic symptoms occur in the absence of any threat. “With cognitive behavioral therapy, we emphasize that we don’t want to try to control, escape or avoid the symptoms,” says Dr. Price. “When we do that we’re creating more fear surrounding symptoms.”
Dr. Price has patients approach each symptom and remove the fear element by understanding the function of that symptom and then practicing experiencing the symptom and letting your body regulate the symptom naturally. When the “fear of the fear” subsides, people notice that the responses themselves — feeling warm or racing heart — are not that scary. Panic cannot hurt you.
“By systematically experiencing these symptoms, we remove secondary symptoms (such as the intense fear that goes along with those physical symptoms) and panic is no longer that scary. We essentially re-train our bodies to approach rather than avoid anxiety-provoking situations.”
It takes an average of three months and 10-20 sessions to get it under control, she says. Patients usually feel significantly better in four to six sessions. Dr. Price runs four-week group therapy sessions too. “We tell people to think of the group as a class,” she says. “There’s no pressure to share. It’s a place to come and learn.”
When you recognize you’re avoiding situations — whether it’s getting into an elevator, socializing or leaving the house — if it’s changing your life and distressing you, that’s when you want to get help.
To schedule an appointment with Dr. Price or to enroll in a group call 847 425-6400.
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