Panic Disorder

Panic Disorder

People with panic disorder experience sudden bursts of anxiety symptoms, feel out of control, and think they are dying. They may have an overreactive autonomic nervous system, which easily goes into a fight-or-flight response. They also may tend to catastrophize their symptoms. Antidepressant and antianxiety drugs can reduce symptoms of panic, and cognitive-behavioral treatments are effective for panic disorder

Some people with panic disorder have many attacks in a short period of time, such as every day for a week, then go for weeks or months without having another attack, followed by another period in which the attacks come often. Other people have attacks less frequently but more regularly, such as once a week every week of months.

1) Biological Theories

Biological theories of panic disorder have been concerned with poor regulation of neurotransmitters in particular parts of the brain and with the role of genetics

Neurotransmitter

Poor regulation of norepinephrine, serotonin and perhaps GABA and CCK in the locus coeruleus and limbic systems causes panic disorder.

Kindling model

Poor regulation in the locus coeruleus causes panic attacks, stimulates and kindless the limbic system, lowering the threshold for stimulation of diffuse and chronic anxiety

Suffocation false alarm

The brains of people with panic disorder are hypersensitive to carbon dioxide and induce the fight-or-flight response with small increases in carbon dioxide.

Genetic

Disordered genes put some people at risk for panic disorder

2) Psychological Theories

Although many people who develop panic disorder may have biological vulnerability to this disorder, Psychological factors also appear to play a heavy role in determining who will develop the disorder.

Cognitive

People prone to panic attacks

1) Pay very close attention to their bodily sensations

2) Misinterpret these sensations

3)Engage in snowballing, catastrophizing

Vulnerability-Stress Model

The biological and cognitive theories of panic disorder have been integrated to a create a vulnerability-stress mode of this disorder. Many people who develop panic disorder seem to have a biological vulnerability to a hypersensitive fight-or-flight response.