I Had a Panic Attack. Do I Have an Anxiety Disorder?

A single, or even a few, isolated panic attacks, do not necessarily mean you have an anxiety disorder. A panic attack can be triggered by many other conditions besides an anxiety disorder including acute stress, negative pharmaceutical reactions, and certain medical conditions. So, if a panic attack isn’t the only sign of an anxiety disorder, how do you know if you have one?

Well, to begin with, anxiety disorder may be hereditary. People who themselves have anxiety disorders tend to pass them to their children. This is because, contrary to what most people think, an anxiety disorder and the resulting panic attacks, are physiological, not psychological in nature. In other words, an anxiety disorder is – usually – the result of chemical processes in the body, not mental processes. If you’ve had a panic attack or two, and you can’t pinpoint a cause like a car accident or being fired, and one or both of your parents seemed to be anxious people, you may want to monitor yourself or consult with a doctor to see if you have an anxiety disorder.

Second, look at the patterns in your behaviour. An obvious sign that you have an anxiety disorder is that you have multiple panic attacks in a relatively short period of time. I don’t mean that you have four in one day, but even having a panic attack as frequently as once a month can indicate that you have an anxiety disorder. The average American goes to the doctor 5 times a year. The average American with an anxiety disorder goes to the doctor 37 times a year. This statistical trend holds true across developed nations.

Besides panic attacks, an anxiety disorder is accompanied by many other symptoms. A person who has an anxiety disorder tends to worry constantly about everything, so much so that he or she can’t sleep or focus on one thing for very long. A person suffering from an anxiety disorder may also be irritable or quick to anger. If you experience a panic attack in the absence of these other symptoms, you probably do not have an anxiety disorder.

Just because you have a panic attack doesn’t mean you have an anxiety disorder. A panic attack can be triggered by an underlying phobia – agoraphobia or social phobia for example – or you can have one because you have a thyroid problem. As well, the symptoms of a panic attack mirror the symptoms of other medical problems in no way related to anxiety disorders. A panic attack could be a minor heart attack or it could be the onset of the flu. If you experience a panic attack, think about these other symptoms and whether you experience them. If you do, consult with your doctor so you can be properly diagnosed and get the treatment you need.