Let’s see what it is and what to do about panic disorder its manifestations and symptoms, and why it is important to go to the psychologist if you experience this psychological alteration firsthand.
Panic disorder is a psychopathological syndrome that It is characterized by episodes of acute anxiety that manifest repeatedly, spontaneously, abruptly and unexpectedly Anxiety or panic attacks can have different durations, from a few minutes to an hour, and reach their maximum intensity in a short period of time.
When this psychological alteration arises, the person unexpectedly feels an intense experience with a significant level of anguish and discomfort, psychological and physical fear The person with panic attacks is usually afraid of losing control, dying and going crazy. Panic attacks are not related to a specific object or situation.
Frequently, these people are afraid that they will suffer other panic attacks in other similar situations. In addition, panic attacks are often associated with agoraphobia, since panic disorder is related to the fear of facing certain situations from which it would be difficult to escape or get out or in which one would feel ashamed for showing the symptoms or suffering derived from their own interpretation of reality.
According to psychologist Florencia Stolo, from the Malaga office of Psychologists Málaga PsicoAbreu, panic disorder is based on being afraid of a possible attack of anguish and very high anxiety, an experience in which the person themselves believes that they are not capable of controlling their feelings. attacks and has an external locus of the situation itself (that is, an interpretation of the situation in which it is seen as something external to oneself and uncontrollable, which happens to oneself on some occasions). The psychologist states that By giving the patient the ability to control their own emotions and crises, they are reduced and control them.
The most frequent symptoms of panic disorder are the following.
As less frequent symptoms and in times of great anxiety you may experience depersonalization (feeling of strangeness to the environment around you or your own body) or derealization (alteration of the perception or experience of the environment that is interpreted as unreal or strange).
What to do if you have panic disorder?
The most important is Go to a health psychologist specialized in anxiety treatment to evaluate the specific case. Once in consultation, the psychologist will surely use the following tools and techniques.
1. Psychoeducation
The patient will be explained what is happening to him, what panic attacks consist of , your symptoms and all the events surrounding the anxiety attacks that have already occurred. You will also be explained how panic attacks and your fear of them are affecting your daily life and your relationships with others.
It is useful for the patient to understand how he interprets the physical sensations he experiences in a catastrophic way.
2. Relaxation techniques
Various relaxation techniques will be explained to the patient to give them tools with which to relax and that increases your feeling of control over crises and everything that happens which will help you feel more confident.
Relaxation will allow the rest of the cognitive and behavioral techniques to be carried out, which will help the person control anxiety attacks to a greater extent. For example: Jacobson’s progressive relaxation technique, diaphragmatic breathing, Schultz’s progressive relaxation…
3. Cognitive techniques
To identify and know dysfunctional thoughts characteristics of the patient in situations of greater anxiety, it is useful to fill out a self-registration. Cognitive techniques are also useful to be able to abandon safety behaviors, which allow the person to feel safe in different areas without the need for these maladaptive actions. For example, among the cognitive techniques that the psychologist can use we find Ellis’s ABC model, cognitive restructuring, Socratic discourse…
4. Techniques to increase self-esteem and self-concept
They are so that the patient feels more secure in control of the situations around them and improves their social relationships and their relationships with their environment.
5. Other psychotherapeutic tools
Other tools or procedures can be used such as Mindfulness, EMDR Therapy (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)… that accelerate or complement everything mentioned above.
The Málaga PsicoAbreu Psychologists office has psychologists specialized in the treatment of anxiety disorders, such as panic disorder, who can help you recover your daily life.
