NURS 3130 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Panic Attack, Panic Disorder, Suicidal Ideation
Document Summary
Defense mechanisms are used to reduce anxiety by preventing or diminishing unwanted thoughts and feelings. First step is ide(cid:374)tif(cid:455)i(cid:374)g a perso(cid:374)"s use of defe(cid:374)se (cid:373)e(cid:272)ha(cid:374)is(cid:373)s. the (cid:374)e(cid:454)t step is determining whether the reasons the defense mechanisms are being used to support health(cid:455) (cid:272)opi(cid:374)g or are detri(cid:373)e(cid:374)tal to a perso(cid:374)"s health. If anxiety is left untreated, symptoms progress and sometimes lead to suicidal ideation and suicide attempts, early parenthood, drug and alcohol dependence, and educational achievement later in life. Separation anxiety usually occurs first in childhood. The onset of panic disorder is typically between 20-24 years of age. Panic attacks are a major finding in panic disorder. A panic attack is a sudden, discrete period of intense fear that reaches its peak within a few minutes and is accompanied by significant physical discomfort and cognitive distress. Panic attacks usually peak in about 10 min. and can last as long as 30 minutes.
