Having anxiety or panic is a normal human reaction from time to time. However, there are times when people suffer from too much anxiety, and it interferes with their daily lives. This is a condition that doctors call panic disorder. Below is more information about panic disorder treatment in PA and how it relates to addiction.
What Is Panic Disorder?
Panic disorder is a type of anxiety disorder. Other conditions that fall under the anxiety disorder umbrella include social anxiety and generalized anxiety. When people’s levels of panic escalate, they have a panic attack. Those who have panic attacks too often might have panic disorder.
Panic Disorder Treatment in PA
Panic disorder is common as far as mental disorders go. In fact, studies show that nearly 40 million Americans suffer from it every year. Unfortunately, few of these people ever get the help that they need to overcome the illness.
Panic disorder is a condition for which people can get treatment. The two most common panic disorder treatment methods are medication and therapy. In most cases, doctors recommend a mix of both. The goal is eventually to not need medication thanks to therapy.
Panic disorder treatment in PA typically uses both of these treatment methods. However, the biggest problem is that people don’t always seek anxiety treatment.
Self-Medicating to Cope
The relationship between panic disorder and addiction is strong. In fact, anxiety disorders, in general, are one of the most common reasons why people start taking drugs. When anxiety and panic start to affect their lives, they look for relief. Instead of seeking professional treatment, they turn to drugs.
For many people, drugs make dealing with panic disorder easier. However, drugs and alcohol aren’t a good alternative to professional panic disorder treatment. The drugs only cover up the symptoms. To make matters worse, they last for a limited amount of time.
To keep getting relief, people have to continue to take drugs on a regular basis. That behavior results in drug abuse, which eventually turns into addiction. People become dependent on the substances to function normally. Once they stop taking the drugs, their bodies go through withdrawal.
Signs of a Panic Disorder
How do people know if they have a panic disorder? They can look for a few symptoms or signs that might indicate that they need professional help. However, only a doctor can diagnose someone with a panic disorder. Some of the common symptoms include:
- Sudden overwhelming fear
- Trembling
- Chest pains
- Dizziness
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Sweating
These symptoms don’t always mean that someone has a panic disorder. Sometimes they just occur naturally. With that said, people who have these symptoms a lot might need help. This is even more apparent when the effects interfere with how they live their daily lives.
Let Steps to Recovery Provide Treatment That You Can Count On
Do you need panic disorder treatment in PA? Do you also suffer from addiction? If so, Steps to Recovery is here to help you. We make it our goal to provide men and women with recovery services. Some of the Pennsylvania addiction recovery services that we offer include:
- Dual diagnosis treatment
- Family counseling
- Intensive outpatient rehab
- Gender-specific treatment
- Life skills and education training
- Sober living
Finding panic disorder treatment in PA isn’t hard. However, finding reliable treatment is a different story. Steps to Recovery offers a 3-to-1 staff-to-client ratio. It allows us to provide all of our clients with reliable treatment that they can count on.
Don’t let your panic disorder make your addiction worse. Get panic disorder treatment in PA that you can count on. Contact Steps to Recovery at 267.719.8528 today for help.