Biological Theories Of Panic Disorder

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Biological and Cognitive Behavioral Theories of Panic Disorder are two theories that Psychologists go back and forth between when it comes to this disorder. Panic Disorder in the simplest form is an anxiety disorder characterized by repeated panic or anxiety attacks, (Applied Psychology, pg. 37). In other words, a Panic Disorder (panic attack or anxiety attack) is a psychiatric disorder in which debilitating anxiety and fear arise frequently and without reasonable cause, (google). Panic Disorders can be extremely debilitating and cause issues in our personal life or the workplace. This is why it is so important to study these issues so that we can find better ways of resolving them. We have yet to learn everything about mental illnesses, …show more content…
There is thought to be something biological that occurs in our brain to cause the reactions that are described as a panic attack or anxiety attack. This theory is based on the idea that the brain has a natural alarm system that somehow malfunctions because of genetic or environmental circumstances, causing panic, (healthcommunities). All parts of the brain are intricately connected and are intricately interactive, so it is likely that, if the biological theories prove to be correct, more than one area would be affected in patients with panic disorder, …show more content…
The sensations which are misinterpreted are mainly those which are involved in normal anxiety responses (e.g. palpitations, breathlessness, dizziness etc.) but also include some other bodily sensations, (Clark 82’). The catastrophic misinterpretation involves perceiving these sensations as much more dangerous than they really are. Examples of catastrophic misinterpretations would be a healthy individual perceiving palpitations as evidence of impending heart attack; perceiving a slight feeling of breathlessness as evidence of impending cessation of breathing and consequent death; or perceiving a shaky feeling as evidence of impending loss of control and insanity, (Clark
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