by Lynda Kohn

Created on: December 02, 2010

How to control panic attacks.

Panic attacks are an acute type of anxiety disorder.  Acute means it is short acting  It can occur suddenly without warning.  It is not chronic  The average age of first diagosis is  mid twenties.   Som experts believe there may be a genetic component. If one identical twin suffers from panic disorder, there is an up to a forty percent chance of the other twin will too.  It is twice as likely for females to be diagnosed with this mental disorder than  for men. Since this condition can mimic physical disorders, especially cardiac, medical tests and physical examinations should be performed to rule out non psychiatric conditions.

 The most common symptom in a woman is hyperventilation   In a man the most common expression is  severe chest pains.  This is the possible explanation for this discrepancy.    Women as a rule don't see  psychological disorders as a threat to their femininity. Society expects women to be more prone to emotional disorders and to express their emotions.
Men in general,  view expressing their feelings and  mental disorders especially anxiety disorders as threatening to their masculinity. 

This could be the significance of chest pains for men.  He feels he  is  having a heart attack.   As painful as this can feel,  its psychologically  more acceptable.  Heart attack isn't stigmatizing.  He doesn't need to be concerned he's experiencing a mental disease.  Even though in reality he is..    Mental illness  in most  males is seen as being, weak willed,  a character flaw..

Women, since there is less stigma to anxiety disorders are much more likely to seek psychological  help.  Men are prone to self medicated via alcohol.     This self treatment with alcohol was shown to be true in a  five year study done by the American Psychiatric Association ending earlier this year 2010. This difference in symptoms in the different genders are suspected since at least 1998. The natural course of panic attacks with and without treatment is much worse in women even though they are much more inclined to seek treatment.  The main reason for this is women with panic attacks are much more like to suffer from agoraphobia whereas men are much less likely be agoraphobic.  The downside is men are much less likely

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