On the National Counselor Examination (NCE), the Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Examination (CPCE), or another counseling exam, you may come across questions related to diagnoses from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition, text revision (DSM-5-TR). This video will help you understand Panic Disorder and panic attacks.
Using the DSM-5-TR, we’ll cover what is panic disorder, what are panic attacks, as well as symptoms of panic. We will also look at additional experiences that people may have related to panic.
What are panic attacks? Panic attacks are often unexpected, overwhelming feelings of intense fear or discomfort. They will typically peak within a few minutes, and fade from there. When someone experiences a panic attack, there are a range of symptoms they may experience along with the fear or discomfort, such as a racing heart, sweating, ect.
What is Panic Disorder? Panic Disorder is when someone is having recurrent panic attacks. In other words, someone who is diagnosed with Panic Disorder will be experiencing panic attacks, but just because someone is having panic attacks does not mean they have Panic Disorder. There are other mental health diagnoses that might also cause someone to experience panic attacks, in which case they would not be diagnosed with Panic Disorder.
Does everyone who has panic attacks have Panic Disorder? No, based on other mental health diagnoses you may have, you might not be diagnosed with Panic Disorder, even if you experience panic attacks. For example, someone with Generalized Anxiety Disorder may not meet criteria for Panic Disorder, even though they are having unexpected, recurrent panic attacks. Instead, they may have this as a specifier of their diagnosis. Another example may be someone with posttraumatic stress disorder with panic attacks. They have a diagnosis of PTSD, and are experiencing panic attacks, but these attacks are associated with the PTSD, not Panic Disorder.
What are the symptoms of panic attacks? There are 13 symptoms associated with panic attacks. With Panic Disorder that include, someone would have to have at least four. Symptoms include:
Are there other symptoms of panic attacks? Yes, there are some symptoms or experiences that people may have with panic attacks that are not considered in the diagnosis. For some, they might experience ringing of the ears. Others may note neck pain or headaches. And for others, they might report uncontrollable screaming or crying during panic attacks.
Do people think different after panic attacks? Sometimes. After a panic attack, some people might have increase anxiety about having a panic attack, which might “change” some of the thoughts they have. First, they may experience concern or worry about having an additional attack. Or, they might report having concern about what the attack means or if there will be consequences from the attack, such as having a heart attack, or going crazy. With treatment, people’s thoughts may go back to “normal” as their anxiety related to having additional panic attacks is reduced.
Will people change their behavior after a panic attack? For some people, they might also change behavior to reduce the chances of having another panic attack. For example, they might quit exercising, or stop doing things that could elevate their heart rate, such as consuming caffeine. Although some of these changes might be good (like drinking less caffeine), generally these changes will only increase their anxiety about having another panic attack, which could then increase their chances of having a panic attack. Working with a mental health professional can help work these activities (such as working out) back into their day to day life in a way that doesn’t increase panic symptoms.
