14 DAY TRIAL // Researchers warn people who know they suffer from panic disorder, and their families, to remain vigilant for the panic attacks in the long run. A new study indicates that stressful life events do not always lead to the immediate triggering if such an attack.
Instead, this acute attack may in fact be replaced with a gradual, constant increase in the intensity of the symptoms patients are displaying. This may eventually culminate in a panic attack, and this is why sufferers and their families should maintain their long-term vigilance.
The research determined stress to be the most important factor affecting the risk of a panic attack. Past studies have determined that stress influences symptoms, but the exact nature of this correlation has thus far eluded scientists' understanding.
Researchers at the Brown University admit that the conclusion of their latest study is a bit counterintuitive, but urge people to remain attentive to those who have already been diagnosed with the disorders. Those who go through traumatic events are at an especially high risk.
Getting laid off work is a good example of an event that may increase panic over time. The effects going through such an experience has multiply over time. A full-blown panic attack might ensue weeks to months after the actual event that triggered it took place.
“We definitely expected the symptoms to get worse over time, but we also thought the symptoms would get worse right away,” explains scientist Ethan Moitra, who holds an appointment as a postdoctoral researcher at the university.
He is based at the Brown Warren Alpert Medical School Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior. The expert conducted the work with principal investigator Dr. Martin Keller, who is a professor of psychiatry at Brown.
“If they have the event and they are not feeling much different then maybe the vigilance on the individual’s part decreases somewhat. With the knowledge we have, you may need to stay vigilant for three months or maybe longer. This is something you have to watch for,” Keller details.
Details of the new study appear in the June 11 advanced online issue of the scientific Journal of Affective Disorders. The study was carried out on 418 adults, who had been diagnosed with panic disorder or panic disorder with agoraphobia.
All of the test participants were a part of the Harvard/Brown Anxiety Research Project (HARP), having enrolled between 1998 and 2004.