Stress Research
There are many forms of anxiety and stress which include posttraumatic stress disorder, acute stress disorder, panic attacks, and panic disorder.
Posttraumatic stress disorder is an anxiety condition from going through a severe traumatic experience in which the event causes the person to continue repeatedly having the same thoughts and feelings that occurred in the traumatic event. School children, for example, may experience this when one of their classmates kills or injures several of their classmates; passengers who survive a plane crash might experience this. Dreams, flashbacks and thoughts about the traumatic event will occur even though the person tries to avoid anything that could be a reminder.
Sometimes a person goes through a traumatic experience, but doesn't experience any of the symptoms above until a month or so after the event. When this occurs, and the symptoms last for only a short time, then it is called acute stress disorder.
When a person has a severe attack of anxiety or panic in which the person has a loss in orientation, a much faster heartbeat, is unable to breathe normally and all body functions accelerate, it is a panic disorder.
A healthy lifestyle of proper nutrition and exercise will certainly help to remedy the above situations, but the main focus of the treatment is counseling and psychotherapy. The therapist must be a sympathetic person who lets the person know that the pain is valid but the person must face up to the memories during behavioral therapy. Under a doctor's care drugs may be advisable, particularly in anxiety and panic disorders.
