does this sound like panic disorder?

[fobpatrickstump]

Sometimes it just feels like i cant get enough air or i cant like breathing regularly(and i have been seen by a doctor for this already) and my heart just starts like , well i guess you can say beating out of my chest. and i get like well pain all the time in my lower stomach like cramps and very bad fatigue.

ex. last night at my softball game i started feeling like i couldnt breath and my heart was beating out of my chest.



do you think this could be panic disorder? and yes i am very stressed most of the time.

if you think it is what should i do ? see a therapist?

[Mimi89]

yes or you could suffer from anxiety

[MDChickidee]

It sounds like it....but go see a doctor to make sure its anxiety.

[LaLulu]

It sounds very likely that you are having panic attacks and bad reactions to the stress in your life. If you can get a therapist that would be a good idea. Tackle this while you are young. In my youth, I was ignorant about anxiety and its effects. I didn't know to get help or even how to if I'd known to! I'm still dealing with it now, all these years later! If I would've dealt with it when I was first going through it, perhaps my life would've been better. I hope it will be so for you! :)

[astrologus491]

This is most likely panic disorder for someone your age. The feelings of suffocation and the "heart beating out of the chest" are the two most common symptoms associated with panic attacks and if you are getting these feelings regularly, then it could be panic disorder. You also might have somatoform disorder if these are mainly physical symptoms. The fatigue is also common because during a panic attack, you use up a lot of energy.

The good news is that there is no need to panic over panic disorder or anxiety (no pun intended). I would suggest treating it by using some or most of the ideas below:

1. See your primary doctor or counselor to refer you to a good therapist. They do help but it takes time. I would suggest Cognitive behavioral therapy. It works very fast at treating the symptoms of panic.

2. Deep Breathing: I know how silly it sounds and how simple it is but find a good book or web site on breathing exercises and practice them once or twice daily.

3. When you feel the panic coming on, try your hardest to not panic OVER the panic attack. Breathe, distract your attention, have the hope that the symptoms are only temporary, and go with the flow. The more practice the better.

4. See a phyciatrist, they will most likely prescribe an antidepressant like Zoloft or Prozac. They increase the amount of serotonin in the brain which helps stop the anxiety and panic attacks.

5. They may also prescribe a benzodiazepine (Xanax or Klonopin) which are really good at taking the panic away (even with the first dose) but can become addictive if used for more than a month. Xanax if the panic attacks are occasional or Klonopin if they are more frequent and random.

6. If you don't want to get into psychiatric drugs, there are many natural supplements like GABA (don't take with the benzos), Calcium/Magnesium, B-Complex, Inositol, and Omega-3 which all help with decreasing the amount of anxiety and pain you have (each work in different ways)

7. There are countless ways and websites and "paths" you can take. You can get rid of this. You just need to let your parents and those who support you to help you deal with the hard times.