Stress and Panic Disorders

In the article, "Extreme Stress," (Good Housekeeping 2009), Roxanne Shepelavy discusses the issue of panic disorders that have become prevalent in today's society. In the article, she uses Sandra Kasper to illustrate the disorder and its problems. At the time of the writing, Sandra was experiencing a difficult time in her life. Her husband had just been laid off at work, and she was worried about her three children and how they were going to provide for them. Sandra's anxiety started to become worse. Anxiety started turning into panic attacks and panic attacks manifested themselves into health problems.
According to Roxanne, the times we are living in, with the economy being so volatile and people constantly losing their jobs, is resulting in more stress. Interestingly, women are feeling the stress the most. 83 % of women say that they are depressed about money and finances. Panic attacks according to the article include "a speeding heart, light-headedness, sweating, and a feeling of doom." The best way to treat these attacks is through medication and therapy.

I chose this article because I can relate to it personally. Although I do not suffer from a panic disorder, I am effected by stress on a regular basis, sometimes to the point of experiencing some of the panic attack symptoms. The issue of stress in general is discussed in our textbook in chapter 11. On page 409 stress is attributed to "major life changes" just as the writers suggested. Additionally, panic attacks are discussed in chapter 14 as a disorder that affects a persons day to day life.