Panic Disorder: Long Term Outlook
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Panic Disorder: Long Term Outlook
The Problem
Panic disorder can destroy the lives of sufferers. Some, stuck at home, have the feeling that they are losing their own identity. Many lose all self-esteem due to their reliance on friends and family members. Those close to a sufferer can, in turn, become angry and bitter because it seems that the sufferer does not want to help himself or herself. This only adds to the background anxiety of the sufferer. A negative feedback loop can easily begin, where anxiety breeds panic which breeds further anxiety.
Over time, stress will take its toll on the body. The body is not designed to withstand high levels of anxiety over a long period. Concentration is affected, and many sufferers fall short in the workplace or school as a result. Sleep may be fitful. The immune system will be weaker. Stress may affect the heart, and cause disorders associated with high blood pressure.
The Good News
Many sufferers make full recoveries from panic disorder. Their lifestyle is no longer restricted, and they are able to live an independent, fulfilled life. While many are still affected by anxiety, they have the training to protect them from panic.
Reintroduction to stressful situations does take time, however. It may be many years before a former sufferer can do everything that they would like to do. The brain takes time to ‘unlearn’ old habits. Much practice may be required to truly lose all fear of panic.
Some get to a certain point in recovery, and decide that they are happy where they are. For example, someone may have overcome their general fear of trains, but still be afraid to ride underground. Perhaps they decide that their life is perfectly acceptable without the subway, and find an alternate way of getting around.
This would not be considered a full recovery. However, if a sufferer feels confident with their lifestyle, has strong relationships and has good self-esteem, then that is what is important.
Recurrence
Recurrence does happen, and sufferers who thought themselves cured may panic again. Usually, the background anxiety was lower for a time, and panic attacks subsided. When life again becomes stressful, panic reappears. In this case, the true source of the panic – a sufferer’s own fear of embarrassment – had never been dealt with.
Ironically, sufferers may also relapse when they have been too closely guided by a councilor. ‘Desensitization treatment’, while very useful to people with specific phobias, has a low success rate for panic disorder sufferers. In this treatment, the councilor takes the participant into the stressful environment, all the while telling them what to feel so that they do not panic. Unfortunately, most sufferers find that their panic returns as soon as the treatment ends, as they never learned to master their own thoughts.
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