With the ‘normality’ written in this text, it makes me feel much better. I often forget there’s more weirdos like me. Lots of ‘em.
Whereas normal anxiety is short lived, doesn’t usually interfere with your life dramatically, an anxiety disorder tends to be a chronic illness that has a significant impact on your daily function and may rob you of any joy in your life. Over 40 million people in the United States suffer from an anxiety disorder.
Panic attack on the other hand doesn’t come in reaction to a stressor. It’s unprovoked and unpredictable. And during a panic attack the individual is seized with terror, fear, or apprehension. They may feel that they’re going to die, or lose control or have a heart attack. They have a host of physical symptoms which may include chest pain, shortness of breath, dizziness, nausea. And in addition to these terrifying panic attacks, people start worrying about having the next one. So there’s a lot of what’s called anticipatory anxiety.
Also, they start avoiding places where they have a panic attack. So if they had one in a grocery store for example, they may stop going to the store. The good news is even though this is a very common disorder, it is very treatable.
