The First Time Celia Had a Panic Attack, She Was

question 112

Essay

The first time Celia had a panic attack, she was working at McDonalds. It was two days before her 20^th birthday. As she was handing a customer a Big Mac, she had the worst experience of her life. The earth seemed to open up beneath her. Her heart began to pound, she felt she was smothering, she broke into a sweat and she was sure she was going to have a heart attack and die. After about ten minutes of terror, the panic subsided. Trembling, she got in her car, raced home, and barely left the house for the next three months. Since that time, Celia has had about three attacks a month. She does not know when they are coming. During an attack, she feels dread, searing chest pain, smothering, choking, dizziness, and shakiness. She sometimes thinks this is not real and she is going crazy. She also thinks she is going to die. Which anxiety disorder does Celia likely have? Code the disorder on the correct axis. How would a cognitive theorist explain Celia's presenting symptoms?

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Definitions:

Quadrupled

To increase fourfold or multiply by four, often used in describing growth or expansion in quantitative terms.

Growing Population

The increase in the number of individuals in a population, often discussed in the context of social, economic, and environmental impacts.

Women Office Workers

Refers to females employed in office settings, performing a range of clerical and administrative duties.

Typewriters

Mechanical or electromechanical machines that were used for writing; they have keys for producing letters and symbols on paper, and were widely used before the advent of personal computers.