Gender Differences In Panic Disorder
Men and women experience Panic Disorder somewhat differently. Fully twice as many women as men are diagnosed. Approximately 2-3.5% of men and 5-7% of women have been diagnosed. When considering differing age groups the differences remain, 1.3% of males who are 15-24 years of age versus 2.5% of females; and, .6% of males 35-44 versus 2.1% of females. Only Hispanic and African American men have lower rates than other ethnicities. The panic attacks generally start at age 20.7 for men and 22 for women; whereas the disorder is diagnosed at about 23.7 for men and 25 for women.
More women will experience more debilitating forms of Panic Disorder such as with agoraphobia. They also have more frequent panic attacks. Females report more and different symptoms than do men. The top three symptoms for men are sweating, stomach pain, and chest pain; but women experience more shortness of breath, trembling or shaking, or heart pounding. Men have more pain symptoms and women more respiratory symptoms. There has been a lot of study about this in recent years, and it appears that women, particularly when impacted hormonally before menstruation, over-react to a sense of not being able to breath, called the "suffocation false-alarm theory". In addition, their brains may not be appropriately regulating one of the brain's neurotransmitters, and so they are less able to regulate anxiety when they feel it. Men, on the other hand, may be more at risk for responding to a pain symptom. Women have different hormones to deal with pain, i.e.: think about child birth, and men do not. Also most men are better able to admit pain than fear, thus these symptoms are reported most frequently.
Other diagnosis or what are called co-morbid diagnoses, can exist for both. In men, there is a higher pre-Panic Disorder diagnosis of Cyclothymia, Body Dysmorphic Disorder, or Depression but in women more frequently Bulimia Nervosa. Also, while both may have a diagnosis of a personality disorder, men tend to have the more severe ones such as Borderline, but women have a more anxious type such as Histrionic or Dependent. Men will try to self-medicate more often, thus having more alcohol and nicotine addiction or abuse prior to seeking treatment.
Male and female thought processes can also be different. Often men are taught to minimize fear and avoid situations that trigger it, and women are socialized to report fear while avoiding the situations. Some men tend to think less expressively but also less catastrophically than do some women who have Panic Disorder. Men may feel more anger, hostility and depression, but these results are not consistent. Women tend to be more extroverted than their male counterparts.
Men and women do experience Panic Disorder differently, from the symptoms, to the thought processes that lead up to it, to other life experiences and diagnoses. Both can learn to manage the attacks and the Disorder, and be helped through therapy, with or without medication.
More women will experience more debilitating forms of Panic Disorder such as with agoraphobia. They also have more frequent panic attacks. Females report more and different symptoms than do men. The top three symptoms for men are sweating, stomach pain, and chest pain; but women experience more shortness of breath, trembling or shaking, or heart pounding. Men have more pain symptoms and women more respiratory symptoms. There has been a lot of study about this in recent years, and it appears that women, particularly when impacted hormonally before menstruation, over-react to a sense of not being able to breath, called the "suffocation false-alarm theory". In addition, their brains may not be appropriately regulating one of the brain's neurotransmitters, and so they are less able to regulate anxiety when they feel it. Men, on the other hand, may be more at risk for responding to a pain symptom. Women have different hormones to deal with pain, i.e.: think about child birth, and men do not. Also most men are better able to admit pain than fear, thus these symptoms are reported most frequently.
Other diagnosis or what are called co-morbid diagnoses, can exist for both. In men, there is a higher pre-Panic Disorder diagnosis of Cyclothymia, Body Dysmorphic Disorder, or Depression but in women more frequently Bulimia Nervosa. Also, while both may have a diagnosis of a personality disorder, men tend to have the more severe ones such as Borderline, but women have a more anxious type such as Histrionic or Dependent. Men will try to self-medicate more often, thus having more alcohol and nicotine addiction or abuse prior to seeking treatment.
Male and female thought processes can also be different. Often men are taught to minimize fear and avoid situations that trigger it, and women are socialized to report fear while avoiding the situations. Some men tend to think less expressively but also less catastrophically than do some women who have Panic Disorder. Men may feel more anger, hostility and depression, but these results are not consistent. Women tend to be more extroverted than their male counterparts.
Men and women do experience Panic Disorder differently, from the symptoms, to the thought processes that lead up to it, to other life experiences and diagnoses. Both can learn to manage the attacks and the Disorder, and be helped through therapy, with or without medication.