My Essay on Panic and Public Awareness
This thing is huge so if you're interested you're in for about 8 and a half pages of reading. 
I've got a zillion works cited, too. Thanks for those who helped me with my survey for this paper!
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Michelle ******
29 February 2008
The word panic brings to mind throngs of escaping frightened people and hiding in closets. It is an onset of incredible fear. There are certain people that experience this panic on a daily basis. The live their lives with these attacks of fear, and a lot of the time this is because they don’t know what is happening to them. The general public does not seem to know as much about panic attacks, panic disorder and anxiety compared to other mental issues. A panic attack is defined as “a sudden surge of mounting physiological arousal that can occur “out of the blue” or in response to encountering (or merely thinking about) a phobic situation” (Bourne 107). The next level, panic disorder “is an anxiety disorder that causes repeated, unexpected attacks of intense fear. These attacks may last from minutes to hours” (Ballas). And finally, anxiety is a subjective state of apprehension and uneasiness, psychologically (Bourne 7). Others claim that it’s simply something these people need to get over or it’s all in their head, and not a legitimate mental problem. Other disorders and problems like depression and addiction get more attention in the media. Panic attacks are important enough for the general public to be educated about.
Panic has been with humans since the beginning. Firstly, the phenomenological experience of panic has been described as far back as Ancient Greece (Wilson and McLuckie 29). It’s a completely natural phenomenon and actually is helpful when it comes to the survival of the species. The body’s natural ‘flight or fight’ response to danger is activated when a person perceives a threat or danger, this exact same thing happens during a panic attack except it’s basically a false alarm (“Panic Attacks”). Even the ancient Greeks did not consider it abnormal at all, but suggested that intense bouts of anxiety were considered to be something that normal humans experienced. (Wilson and McLuckie 29).
What happens during a panic attack and what does it feel like? Panic brings on psychological reactions of course, that include fears of dying, going crazy, doing something uncontrollable, with feelings of unreality and an intense desire to run away (Bourne 107). But one of the most prominent and memorable aspects of panic is the bodily symptoms. They include heart palpitations, shortness of breath, tight chest, choking sensations, dizziness, faintness, sweating, trembling, shaking, and tingling in the feet and hands (Bourne 107). Put the physical and the emotional together and the person having the attack is in for one frightening, wild ride. This is also exactly what happens when a person’s flight or fight response is activated in a truly life-threatening situation (Bourne, 107).
However, panic attacks and panic disorder don’t necessarily happen in life-threatening situations. They could, but most often they happen in regular places from elevators to airplanes. They happen because of a variety of reasons. Perhaps it is because of medical causes like hypoglycemia, hyperthyroidism, caffeine, drugs, alcohol withdrawal, tranquilizers and sedatives (Bourne 8). It isn’t necessarily triggered by only medical causes, though. Or one could simply stop drinking coffee and that would be the end of it. Otherwise there would be lots of pills and chemical ‘panic cures’ out on the market. There are medications for panic but they don’t necessarily cure. Saxbe states “antidepressant medication may help alleviate panic. However, cognitive-behavioral therapy may work even better; researchers estimate that up to 80 percent of panic sufferers can be helped by psychotherapy alone.” Bourne explains that “The causes of panic disorder involve a combination of hereditary, chemical imbalances in the brain, and personal stress” (8). Stress and fear can play a huge part in the reasoning behind panic attacks and disorder. Panic attacks are more likely to occur when one has an overly sensitized “fear system” which could be caused by acute stress or a long-term result of multiple stresses over time (Bourne 41).
People do not have to live in fear forever. There may not be a cure-all medication, but a combination of things including medication, panic-control therapy, relaxation training, interoceptive desensitization, lifestyle and personality changes can treat panic disorder (Bourne 8-9). There is a danger to not getting any help. If panic disorder is not treated it becomes more and more disabling, even leading to agoraphobia (Fenton, “Panic Disorder”). Sometimes people can’t even get the help they need. The American Psychological Association finds that “people sometimes see 10 or more doctors before being properly diagnosed, and that only one out of four people with the disorder receive the treatment they need” (“Answers to Your Questions”). Entire lives are put on hold because of this debilitating disease. The real danger with this is if a person doesn’t get good information about panic disorder shortly after the first attack it can make people become avoidant and phobic and they will give up on many ordinary and enjoyable parts of life (“What a Panic Attack Can Do”).
To make sure that people who have their first panic attack or develop panic disorder get the information they need in case it develops into something worse, the general public as a whole needs to be educated about this. It is an important and very real condition. The statistics about panic and anxiety are staggering compared to the little it is talked about in the media. In a year 1/3 of American adults have at least one panic attack which means that anxiety and panic attacks are the most common emotional disorder, more common than bipolar disorder, OCD schizophrenia, PTSD, ADHD, phobias, alcohol abuse or depression (“Anxiety and Panic Attacks”). There doesn’t seem to be as much information out there in the media and general public about these disorders, as “barriers to treatment include awareness, accessibility, and affordability” (“Treatment of Panic Disorder”). And without information, these people’s problems will get worse. The media should cover panic disorder and panic attacks as much as they cover other disorders like depression.
There are an incredible amount of people out there who are suffering from this disease of fear. 15 % of people in the United States in the past year or nearly 40 million have suffered, and nearly a quarter of the adult population will experience some kind of anxiety disorder though only a small proportion of them will receive treatment (Bourne 1). Mood disorders including depression only count for approximately 20.9 million American adults, or about 9.5 percent of the U.S. population age 18 and older in a given year (qtd. in “The Numbers Count”). Bourne also explains that “research conducted by the National Institute of Mental Health has shown that anxiety disorders are the number one mental heath problem among American women and are second only to alcohol and drug abuse among men” (1). In a year, 1/3 of American adults have an attack (“Anxiety and Panic Attacks”). With these statistics one would think something that would be this big would be mentioned all the time on the news, compared to all the times commercials and stories are shown about alcoholism, eating disorders, depression, or even ADHD. ADHD affects only 4.1 percent of adults in a given year in the United States (qtd. in “The Numbers Count”). A search about depression on Medline Plus (which is sponsored by the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health) results in a page with a huge of links for help. There are even special sections on women, men, and seniors. The page is highly organized and one can find anything one needs to know about depression. Search the term panic, and one receives a relatively similar but smaller page about panic disorder with a smaller amount of links for people to get help. The amount of links is absolutely tiny compared to the depression page. This seems to be happening all over the world, not just in the U.S. A person from the U.K. who suffers from GAD (Generalized Anxiety Disorder) and agoraphobia explains that “it gets nowhere the coverage that depression and other mental health issues get. I too am fed up with the get over it attitude. I have to use the internet to find information as there is very rarely anything on the TV about it” (helenclaire). Another from Australia states that “TV and radio here seem obsessed with depression but panic and anxiety don't rate a mention. The ratio would be 100% to NIL” (Phill2). One would assume with the staggering amount of people who experience these attacks there would be something in the media about it. Pols and Anderson state “there seems to be little public awareness of what having an anxiety disorder entails.”
There are legitimate reasons for this, it’s not like the media has some kind of cruel agenda to discriminate against panic sufferers. Sometimes other people simply don’t understand what’s going on. Pols and Anderson explain “most people understand anxiety in the context of tangible threats. The notion of experiencing mortal terror in the 'absence' of a tangible threat is so contrary to conventional experience that the concept seems unbelievable or, at least, difficult to relate to.” It’s possible it may not seem as significant a disorder as others because it can be relatively silent. It’s usually very difficult to tell if the person next to one on the bus in the morning is having a panic attack unless they vocalize it. “In fact, it's usually very hard to tell when a person is having a panic attack. If they don't tell you, you probably won't notice” (“What Can a Panic Attack Do?”). People might be afraid to tell others what they are experiencing for fear of being considered crazy. Panic attacks can certainly make feel like one is going crazy. If a lot of people keep a lid on this phenomenon, the media might easily miss it. If they don’t know that people are interested in learning about panic disorder, they’re not going to spend the money educating people about it.
Also it’s very well possible that panic disorder and the like are not taken as seriously as other disorders. Richards explains “the anxiety problems are not taken seriously by many people within and without the professional fields. For example, it is quite common for people with panic to have spent years and years and thousands of dollars in pursuit of an answer to these painful, very real, traumatic attacks.” It is a very internal problem that can’t necessarily be seen from the outside. People who suffer from this may be considered neurotic, fearful, and cowardly by others who’ve never had to deal with this. Phill2 from nomorepanic says “The public seems to have the ‘Get over it’ attitude.” Boulware explains that “Panic Disorder frequently goes undiagnosed and, therefore, untreated. Some sufferers may rationalize their attacks for a long time as normal or ‘no big deal.’ Other people may call them nervous or ‘high strung.’” It seems that psychological or emotional disabilities are viewed differently than someone with physical or sensory impairments; society seems to expect people to control and be responsible for their behavior and blames them for their condition (“Psychological Disorders”). Panic sufferers might fear the stigma placed on them and this is also a reason they keep quiet. Still, these aren’t proper excuses. Just because people aren’t talking about their illnesses doesn’t mean they don’t exist. A person suffering from anorexia could keep that quiet too, but there are plenty of sources and information out there so that anyone in the general public could at least have an idea what the problem is about. There should be more information out there.
Information about panic attacks and anxiety doesn’t seem to be in the public’s general knowledge the same way other things are like depression and eating disorders. There needs to be more public awareness. Jadey at the No More Panic forum says “not a lot of information is given to the public about panic attacks. I have only found ONE leaflet and that was at my college outside the counseling room. Apart from that nothing is given to the public.” Phill2 says “I would like to see the public made aware that panic (and other disorders other than depression) actually exist.” Even some doctors need to be educated about this. Pols and Anderson state that “many respondents were not happy about the physicians they had consulted with. They found that most of them were not well-informed about anxiety disorders.” They found that most of these people researched their condition themselves on their own initiative after they found out what they had (Pols and Anderson).
The internet seems to play a big part in informing people about this disorder, as well as T.V. and books. In Japan, a study was done and it turns out that patients were most frequently motivated to get professional help was of books (35%), followed by TV programs (23%), and Internet home pages (16%) (Kato, Yamanaka, and Kaiya). “The media of the Internet home page was listed as the third most frequent medium motivating patients, which suggests that enlightenment by this new medium is effectively recruiting the patients with panic disorder” explain Kato, Yamanaka, and Kaiya (525). Internet forums are a good place to find support that might not be found elsewhere, especially with the lack of information out there. Pols and Anderson explain “in these Internet forums, individuals with anxiety disorders provide support to each other, exchange information about medications, coping strategies, and a variety of other issues.” One can just type in the word “panic attack” in Google and there are plenty of helpful sites that crop up. The internet seems to be a very good place to easily find information about panic disorder, anxiety and attacks.
There have been informative pieces on television, though. It hasn’t necessarily been one big giant panic cover up. There are good pieces of programming in both fiction and non-fiction to help people become aware of panic disorder. 48 Hours did a program called “Panic; A look At People Struggling With Anxiety” in February of 2000 which featured Donny Osmond and his experience with panic attacks (Anderson). The program also went over important issues of panic but the best part was that it promoted awareness of this all too invisible disorder (Anderson). Anderson also believes that the program “Fear, Stress, and Anxiety” from PBS in 1997 was one of the few programs that have addressed anxiety and panic disorders with such detail and it has boosted public awareness and education of these disorders. Panic can also be taught through entertainment show like on the WB show Everwood, which touches on panic attacks in one episode and shows what it feels and looks like to have an attack. Read and Purse report that “the producers of Everwood and the WB network should be commended for these subtle inserts of mental health topics, which in small ways can help reduce stigma.” If there was a little bit of this in at least once a season in everyone’s favorite shows, it could really inform the public about these disorders. Considering how many people watch TV, this could make all the difference. Read and Purse also say that “a few touches on mental health in the media are all that is needed during these times to shape someone's view on bipolar disorder and mental illnesses in general.” The general public watches a lot TV and enjoys these kinds of shows, and can be influenced easily by the show’s viewpoint. These shows need to be careful not to make the stigma even worse. It can be a powerful tool for the good of panic sufferers and the general public.
There needs to be greater public awareness on panic disorder and attacks. It is an important issue that shouldn’t be taken lightly. Bourne states that “during the 1990s, panic and anxiety reached epidemic proportions (1). If a type of new flu reached epidemic proportions there would certainly be some stir. Panic is just as important as a physical illness, especially with the kind of emotional distress it causes. There is a National Anxiety Disorders Screening Day in which people may receive a free and anonymous screening for anxiety and depressive disorders (Fenton, “Anxiety Screening Day”). There needs to be more awareness for good help such as this so that people who need it can go and get it. If there were more public service announcements in TV and radio about panic it would help in educating everybody. There are groups dedicated to educating the public, fortunately. Henning tells that “thanks to organizations such as the Anxiety Disorders Association of America (ADAA), the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), and the National Mental Health Association (NMHA), the general public knows more today about panic disorder than ever before.” However, there still needs to be a lot of work done in this regard. If only there were more public service announcements and people were more open in talking about panic, as well as better education amongst doctors, things would get better and people would know what was happening to them before they had a chance to develop their fear into something worse.
There are already good measures in place to educate the public about panic disorder, panic attacks, and anxiety. But it’s not good enough yet. There’s still a lack of information that can actually harm people who have disorders like these. Panic is a legitimate problem and it’s not a fabrication or a complaint of people who others might consider as ‘weak.’ If more people know about panic disorder they can take the steps to help themselves if they do ever develop it. They don’t have to fear the unknown once it becomes known.
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