Panic disorder is an anxiety disorder and a chronic illness characterized by intermittent, unexpected panic attacks. The frequency of these can range from multiple attacks a day to a few in a year. These attacks are an abrupt period of intense fear,discomfort and anxiety which reaches a peak in short durations of time. It may also include significant behavioral changes, and is often coupled with anticipatory anxiety (DSM-IVR)
These attacks may include anxiety about being in a situation where there is no escape. The dominant symptoms of an attack include chest pain and discomfort, dizziness, sudden onset of palpitations, fear of dying, fear of losing control, nausea, fast heart rates as well as other physical and psychological abnormalities. …show more content…
Numerous theories, from various perspectives, have been postulated regarding the diagnosis and etiology of panic disorders. These perspectives include looking at biological, cognitive, physical, neurobehavioral, psychological and environmental factors. However, like many mental disorders, the exact cause of panic disorders has not yet been determined. And because of the complexity in defining the exact cause of this disorder, there is no known exact cure.
There are many existing therapies developed, each looking at one perspective of the etiology of Panic disorder, but these therapies only provide diagnosis and treatment of panic disorder as a development of their other theories, and because of this reason, they fail to treat panic disorder with complete efficiency. Keeping this in mind, APA suggests that a combination of cognitive and behavioral therapies as well as other psychotherapies are the most efficient treatment for panic disorder. ( APA …show more content…
EMDR in the past few years has been primarily used to treat symptoms of PTSD, through sufficient evidence, EMDR has proved to be a highly efficient as well as cost effective and quick treatment of trauma. Recent researches have said that EMDR may be effective in treating Panic Disorders. This is because psychologists speculate that these panic attacks, may be traumatic events in itself. However, there is not much empirical evidence to support this