Sweating, palpitations, breathlessness; it's like you're dying. Fortunately, that is usually not the case, but at such a moment there is a panic attack.
Almost four percent of all Dutch people have had a panic disorder at some point. A panic disorder is when someone often panics for no reason and, moreover, is constantly afraid of having another panic attack. Panic disorders mainly occur in people between the ages of 25 and 35 and are more common in women than in men.
Treatment
In half of all people who report to an emergency room with chest pain or palpitations, no physical cause is found. The symptoms may then indicate a panic disorder. Panic disorders are fairly treatable with medications and behavioral therapy. With the help of drugs and behavioral therapy, about thirty to fifty percent of all people recover immediately from panic disorder.
Investigation of panic
Petra Kuijpers, cardiologist at the University Medical Center Maastricht, has conducted research into this group of people. They often receive no help, even though there are good treatments. First, a questionnaire is used to determine whether it may be a panic disorder or depression. A panic disorder can then be diagnosed with the help of a 'provocation test'. Kuijpers in the magazine Summum:“Patients have to take a breath from a bottle containing 35 percent carbon dioxide. At most healthy people get a heavy head, people with a disorder get panic symptoms.” The approach is unique in the Netherlands.
