According to Rachman and Silva (2009), “Approximately 15 out of 1000 people will experience panic disorder at some point in their life. (p.19)” Actions all over the world have been taken to better treat individuals that suffer from anxiety disorders like panic disorder (Rachman and Silva, 2009, p.x). Although not every panic attack is associated with panic disorder, if untreated, it can become severe and possibly chronic (Rachman and Silva, 2009, p.19). Panic disorder afflicts approximately 1.5 to 3.5 percent of the entire population, specifically women (Root, 2000, p. 1). In the United States of America alone, there is an estimated three to six million individuals who suffer from this disease (Root, 2000, p. x). Panic disorder has an extensive …show more content…
Panic can be associated with times of terror and uncertainty. However, panic disorder is a more recent finding that dates back to times of the Civil War where soldiers would experience panic disorder-like symptoms (Root, 2000, p. 1). At that time, there was no account of this psychological illness therefore symptoms were associated with a cardiovascular disorders, called neurocirculatory asthenia also referred to as effort syndrome, and DaCosta’s syndrome (Root, 2000, p. 1). Panic disorder was not investigated any further until Sigmund Freud wrote about a syndrome called “anxiety neurosis” in 1984 (Baker, 1989, p.3). This ailment could be described as a result of built up anxiousness and irritability (Baker, 1989, p.3). Freud thought that anxiety neurosis was a result of sexual frustrations, however, a man by the name of Dr. Donald Klein uncovered a different approach to anxiety. According to Baker (1989), “Klein reversed the logic of Freud by proposing that ‘panic’ attacks appear spontaneously, out of the blue, ‘often erupting in a completely calm person in an unthreatening setting (p.4).” He came up with biological idea that every person possess an alarm system and this alarm is more sensitive in some than in others (Rachman and Silva, 2009, p.33). Someone who has a super-sensitive alarm experiences their alarm being set off frequently and unexpectedly, therefore it causes episodes of panic or “panic attacks” (Rachman …show more content…
For individuals who suffer from the disorder each attack can be burdensome and stressful; often times the symptoms of panic attacks are equivalent to the feeling of dying (Baker, 1989, p.17). Frequently families are not able to relate to the patient’s condition if they have not experienced it firsthand. Specifically in families with children that unknowingly suffering from this disorder, parents can find themselves frustrated and perplexed with their child’s behavior (Cowan, 2014, p.15). Children with a parent that suffers from panic disorder often accommodates to the parent with the disorder (Albuquerque et al., 2013, p.435). However, households containing a parent or parents that suffer from panic disorder have been proven to interact better with their children that might suffer from the illness as well (Albuquerque, Munsch, Margraf, and Schneider, 2013, p.435). Also in a conclusive study, it was discovered that panic disorder does not affect overall parent-child bonding (Koszycki et al., 2013, p.282-287). The parent can still perform parental duties and high levels of care for their children without being over protective and fear that their child might acquire their illness (Koszycki et al., 2013, p.282-287). A patient’s family, the environment they grew up in, and biological factors can all play a part in the development of panic