ANXIETY VS ANXIETY DISORDERS: CASE HISTORIES
Anne
Anne was thirty when she had her first panic attack. She was driving to the office where she worked as a secretary. She had just pulled up at a set of traffic lights when for no apparent reason she felt an ‘electric shock’ go right through her body, which reacted to the powerful tingling surge. Anne’s heart began to race and she had difficulty breathing. A wave of nausea followed, and her hands and legs began to tremble. She felt she was looking down at herself as if she had left her body. Everything appeared unreal. All Anne could think of was that she was dying, and she panicked.
Tom
It was 1.00 am. Tom had been asleep since 11.00 pm. He was due to return to his teaching position the next day, after two weeks school holidays. Tom woke with a start as his body jerked violently. A surge of heat went through him. His heart was pounding and he was gasping for breath. His shoulders and arms began to ache and he felt as if he were going to faint. Tom woke his wife, who then called an ambulance as they both feared he was having a heart attack.
Elizabeth
Elizabeth closed the door to the children’s room and walked into the lounge. It had been a long day and she was looking forward to being able to relax. A tingling feeling went through her and it felt as if her heart missed a couple of beats. She felt as if ‘a volume control’ had been turned up in her head, as the sound from the television and the cars in the street began to seem intolerably loud. The lounge floor seemed to move up and down. Elizabeth began to experience pins and needles in her arms and feet. She was frightened by what was happening to her. She was alone with the children and her husband was not due home for another hour. Her fear intensified.
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