Mental Illness Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Mental Illness - Essay Example Panic attacks usually last for a short duration of time in which a person is subject to stress and overload of anxiety and they have a sudden intensity of that anxiety. A panic attack is characterized by a person having heart palpitations, sweating, trembling and shaking, shortness of breath, a feeling of choking, chest pains, nausea, dizzy and lightheaded sensations, numbing or tingling sensations, a feeling of distance from reality or from oneself, a fear of dying, losing control or going crazy (Panic attack, American Psychiatric Association, 1994). Panic attacks can often lead to panic disorder. This is mental illness that is characterized by a series of panic attacks that a person experiences over a period of time due to anxiety and stress. It is a recurrence of this unexpected panic attacks that create the disorder. Many times it is diagnosed with or without agoraphobia present (Panic disorder with agoraphobia, American Psychiatric Association, 1994). Agoraphobia is the condition in which a sufferer of the panic disorder often begins to have continuous concern that another panic attack will come on. It is the anticipation of going to a certain place where they fear that a panic attack will occur. It is often difficult for people to travel beyond their comfort zones without suffering from severe anxiety. Many people find it hard to go to shopping malls, ride a bus or attend theater or sports performances because of the urge to need to find a quick route to get out so that they do not become embarrassed if they were to have an anxiety attack (Anxiety Disorders Association of America, 2011). Patients are worried that certain situations will cause them to have a panic attack and therefore sometimes start to avoid situations which make them anxious or nervous. They are often afraid to do something as