Welcome to the TRN Panic and Anxiety Disorders home page. From here you can access the panic and anxiety chat room and forums, read articles on education or relapse prevention and check for any panic and anxiety specific TRN Events.
Panic and anxiety are common place in people who use and abuse a variety of mind and mood altering substances and behaviours. Those emotional states are also common place in many, if not all human beings, we just learn to manage them in differing ways.
Research and evidence into how and why people become addicted to substances and behaviour shows that childhood experiences, traumas, social environment, and family role models create a template for how we experience the world. Is it a safe and exciting place, or a scary and worrying place to be in? When people feel “OK”, they have a grounded sense of the world and can manage the ups, downs, and stressors of daily life, with a sense of bending with whatever comes, whilst staying grounded. Others, who are generally anxious about the world, live with fears that they manage with behaviours or substances that may end up as addictions.
We all need coping mechanisms, but some that we learn work for a while, and then become unhealthy. Addictive processes can serve as a survival mechanism for some, an escape from the worries of the world. Some medical people believe that depression is just such a behaviour, and unconscious choice not to be part of the world. Panic and anxiety are extreme emotional experiences that may be brief or lasting in presentations. We can all get a fright, build up stress in daily life that creates anxiety which, if not dissipated by exercise or talking the issue through, can remain within our minds and body creating unnecessary stress.
A brief introduction into being human and the brain: We have deep in our brain what has been nicknamed the reptilian brain, the oldest part of the brain inherited from before man stood up. Its primary function is to moderate the survival of the organism. Is it safe to move forward or better to run? Is there food, warmth, and can I procreate with you. Simply put, the Fight, Flight, Freeze survival process that has worked for millennia. The brain sends signals out to the muscles of the body so that it reacts in a particular predetermined manner. Stressors can build up over time or through traumatic events. Being unable or unwilling to tolerate pain, emotional or physical, for very long we search out ways to manage the discomfort. If the stress continues unmanaged we are likely to damage the brain’s survival system in some way. This can lead to panic or anxiety disorders becoming present.
During any shock your body would blast adrenaline into your veins, causing your pupils to dilate, your heart to pound, your breathing to quicken, and your palms to sweat. You might subjectively feel that time slowed down, leaving everything moving in slow motion. The trigger of the shock might seem cartoonish, or you might feel like you were watching yourself panic from the outside. These last two describe forms of dissociation, a safety mechanism with the brain.
If you add into the already present internal cocktail of chemicals, mind or mood altering substances such as alcohol (ethanol), cocaine, cannabis (containing THC tetra-hydro-cannibol), prescribed medication, or over the counter drugs, the brain will become stressed in a different, unnatural manner. We cannot predict what will happen, but damage may be done that could be long lasting and irreparable.
Biological vulnerability in combination with stressful circumstances or events is hypothesized to contribute to the development of panic disorder. Behavioural inhibition, a temperamental style associated with avoidance of new stimuli, has been found to place children at risk for anxiety disorders. Likewise, children with parents who struggle with anxiety are at higher risk of developing anxiety. A possible genetic link in the development of anxiety also has been supported through twin studies. Parents who are anxious may contribute further to higher anxiety levels in their children by modelling anxious behavior and maladaptive coping.
Researchers do not believe that all children of parents who are anxious also become anxious. Other factors that may contribute are insecure attachment patterns, high levels of stress in the home, and the presence of stressful life events. Some evidence suggests that children and adolescents who develop panic disorder tend to be hypersensitive to certain bodily sensations and interpret these sensations as dangerous when they may be harmless. The first panic attack often is preceded by a stressful event, such as the death of a parent or other significant person, a move to a new school, or any other significant emotionally traumatic experience. Early studies suggest a link between separation anxiety and later development of panic disorder, but this appears to be a nonspecific risk
Those who abuse some drugs, such as cannabis, nicotine, and alcohol may be more susceptible to these mental health issues as the drugs add to the stressors already present and create more of a problem. Some people may use marijuana/cannabis with little negative effect. For other people, it may trigger an effect that will impact greatly on their lives. Many people will use marijuana just once, and as a result can experience on ongoing panic attacks, dissociative symptoms and anxiety. Other people may use marijuana for years before experiencing their first panic attack.
Young people today know little of the adverse effects that may result from the use of this drug. However, more and more people are now presenting with panic attacks or anxiety disorders which were triggered by the use of marijuana.
According to medical diagnosis criteria, a panic attack is characterised by four or more of the following symptoms:
The presence of fewer than four of the above symptoms may be considered a limited-symptom panic attack.
The attack has a sudden onset and typically reaches a peak within 10 minutes. Panic attacks can be unexpected, that is, not associated with a specific trigger; situationally bound, that is, almost always occurring on exposure to, or in anticipation of, a specific trigger; or situationally predisposed, which means they are more likely to occur on exposure to a trigger but are not invariably associated with that trigger. Situationally bound panic disorder is very similar to specific phobia except for the degree of the reaction. Unexpected and situationally predisposed panic attacks are the most frequent types in panic disorder.
The diagnostic criteria for panic disorder are defined as follows:
If the above criteria are met, the diagnosis is further clarified by the presence or absence of agoraphobia.
As indicated above, two types of panic disorder exist and are distinguished based on whether agoraphobia is present. The essential feature of agoraphobia is anxiety about being in a situation in which escape would be difficult or help unavailable should a panic attack or panic like symptoms occur. People with agoraphobia often try to avoid a number of situations and activities; for example, children may be reluctant to go to school or be separated from parents. In severe cases, the child or adolescent may be too scared to leave home or be home alone. Refusal to leave home or one's bedroom despite encouragement is the most serious outcome of severe agoraphobia.
To diagnose: This is a persistent fear of one or more social or performance situations in which the person is exposed to unfamiliar people or to possible scrutiny by others. May also include:-
If any of the above fits with your experience it is important that you seek medical advice. TRN offers information and guidance not diagnosis. You can talk to people on the Panic and Anxiety Forum and get identification from others who understand how you feel.
