Women and Panic Attacks

More and more research has been done comparing men and women when it comes to panic attacks, and one conclusion that has come from this research is that women, more than men, are disposed to panic attacks.  In fact, studies have shown that for a man that has a panic attack, three women will have a panic attack.  There are several reason for this that researchers have hypothesized, but two of the most common concern the pressure that is placed on women by society as well the freedom and ability for women to express themselves without any societal repercussions.

Women are constantly bombarded with images depicting other women who are exceptionally beautiful.  As a result, many women will try to compete with these glorified images, which can be especially difficult, not the least because many of these images are enhanced in such a way as to make those in the images appear even prettier than they really are.  Put differently, the women in the images do not even look as good as they are presented so trying to match that level of beauty is just near impossible for anyone.  Trying to keep up that level of beauty, however, may lead a woman to excessive exercise, extreme dietary regulations, or other drastic measures, all of which will prove futile. 

When a woman realizes that she will never look as good as the image that she idolizes, instead of admiring her own beauty instead, she may fall into a fit of depression, may retreat from the comfort of others, or may even adopt a “stop at no cause” mentality and rev up her exercise and dietary measures.  This, as is well known, can lead to a lot of stress, amongst other problems, which can directly cause a panic attack to arise.  Finally, although men are bombarded in much the same way as women, there is not that societal pressure placed on a man that dictates he must look a certain way or no one will find him attractive.

A second reason women are more prone to panic attacks, as well as panic attacks of a greater intensity, involves their ability to express themselves more than men are.  Take, for example, crying.  In American society, it is all right for a woman to cry, whereas when men do the same thing, they are often ridiculed and regarded as weak or cowardly.  For women, in short, showing signs of emotion can be done without any backlash.  Consequently, because women are able to show this emotion, they are putting themselves in a position where they may lose control of their emotions, thereby incurring a greater chance of having a panic attack.  

It is interesting to note, moreover, that although women may experience more panic attacks, men generally have ones of greater intensity.  This may be because men are unable to express their emotions and therefore have to bottle them up inside.  When these emotions are released, they come more fully and in greater force, thereby leading to a more intense panic attack.

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