Panic, Anxiety, and Depression: The Road To Recovery - Diagnosis and Descriptions of Disorders - panic, panic disorder, anxiety, anxiety disorders, depression, major depression, depressive disorders, unipolar depression, healing, recovery, help, stress, stress management, treatment, attack, panic attack, anxiety attack, mood, mood disorder, depressed, sad, pain, sadness, grief, panic disorders, anxiety disorder, depressive, cure, heal

How does one know that he or she has panic, anxiety, or depression? Maybe a person is just feeling the normal ups, downs, and stresses of life. How can we determine between the two - clinical symptoms and usual life responses to stress and difficulties? One way to begin understanding if clinical anxiety, panic, or depression exists is to compare one's symptoms (and their longevity and intensity) with the symptoms that are outlined in the DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Ed., copyright American Psychiatric Association, 1994) for anxiety, panic, and depression. Here is a bit of what the DSM-IV says about these three.

   Panic Attacks: (pgs. 395-398) ... experiencing symptoms such as heart palpitations, sweating, trembling, feelings of shortness of breath and choking, chest and abdominal discomfort, feelings of dizziness, unreality, tingling, chills, and heat, and fears of losing control ("going crazy") and dying. With an actual attack, these symptoms can be very intense, but generally do not last a great length of time. The attacks, however, can be followed by an equally uncomfortable period of anticipatory anxiety (ie. expecting another attack to occur). See the links page to direct you to sites that discuss diagnosis of panic in more detail. Also, in consultation with your health professional, be sure to describe your symptoms as clearly as you can, to aid him/her in determining the presence/absence of panic.

   Generalized Anxiety: (pgs. 432-436) ... an excessive, hard to control, anxiety or worry, over several events or activities, that is present more often than not, for at least six months. Symptoms include restlessness or being "keyed up", concentration difficulties, irritability, sleeping problems, muscle tension, and fatiguability. The anxiety/worry is not focused on one thing, but a range of things and is significant enough to impair major life areas (ie. work). Again, look to my links page for sites that discuss generalized anxiety (and other anxiety disorders) in greater detail, and in talking with your health professional, strive to describe your feelings and symptoms as best you can to aid in a proper diagnosis.

   Major Depression: (pgs. 327, 339-345) ... major depression, or "major depressive disorder", can be a single episode, or of the recurrent kind. It is depression not better accounted for by some other disorder and does not involve the "mania" of manic-depression. Whether single episode or recurrent, depression involves a "major depressive episode", which is marked by such symptoms as (constant) depressed mood, lack of interest or pleasure in one's activities, significant weight loss/gain, sleeping changes, agitation, energy loss, thinking difficulties, dip in self-esteem, and possibly thoughts of death/suicide. Again, check my links for websites that further discuss the description/diagnosis of depression, and be as descriptive and as open as you can when discussing your symptoms and difficulties with your health professional.

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