Example Of Panic Disorder Case Study

Panic Disorder is a type of anxiety disorder wherein a person experiences bouts of panic attacks which ranges from a few seconds to several hours. These panic attacks have no identifiable triggers that give a patient the feeling of inevitable doom. They manifest physically through heart palpitations, intense sweating, short breaths, sensations in the stomach, faintness or dizziness, sense of imminent death, and naturally, exhaustion.
It is clinically classified as an abnormal behavior as it disrupts a patient's normal functioning and causes an enormous amount of distress. People with panic disorder may choose not to leave the "safety" of their home at all to avoid any potential stimuli that will cause the attacks.
Biological approach can help to pacify any chemical imbalances that occur within the patient's body during attacks. Medication may help in countering these imbalances and may help stabilize the patient's physical condition that may help lessen the attacks and even bring the patient into a condition wherein the triggers of the panic attacks may be identified.
However it still boils down to the fact that these panic attacks are most likely psychosomatic. It is still better to approach the treatment through psychoanalytical means. It may be an effective way to go through this first to the socio-cultural perspective. Finding out the history of phobias and panic disorders within the family and immediate society can help identify the cause or causes of the patient's panic attacks. The initial goal in treatment is to identify the triggers of the attacks to the underlying anxiety disorder behind the attacks can be pointed out and treated accordingly.