STRATEGIES FOR OVERCOMING PANIC ATTACKS AND HYPOCHONDRIA IN YOUNG PEOPLE

Abstract

The article presents the author's view on a current issue – hypochondria and panic attacks in youth. It reveals that a panic attack is an irrational and practically uncontrollable burst of anxiety with extremely high intensity. It has been found that the symptomatology of panic attacks includes a wide range of physiological, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral reactions. The article also analyzes the syndrome of health anxiety, also known as hypochondria, which involves excessive worry and fear about the possibility of having a serious illness, such as cancer, autoimmune diseases, or heart problems. It is determined that this condition is based on the misinterpretation of normal bodily sensations as pathological or threatening. The author of the article asserts that panic attacks typically occur for the first time in adolescence when mental and emotional stress can be particularly high due to the processes of personality formation and adaptation to changes. Therefore, at this age, young people may experience stressful situations related to education, social relationships, development of self-identity, and sexual maturity, which can contribute to the onset of panic attacks. The article presents the results of an empirical study conducted among young people. The results of correlation analysis using Pearson's correlation coefficient established a correlation between panic attacks and hypochondria, measured using the Beck Anxiety Inventory and the Health Anxiety Inventory (SHAI), with the data falling within the significance zone of 0.99 with a correlation coefficient r = 0.647. Correlation was also found between panic attacks and trait anxiety, measured using the Beck Anxiety Inventory and the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), with the data falling within the significance zone of 0.99 with a correlation coefficient r = 0.462. A weaker correlation was established between panic attacks and social anxiety, measured using the Beck Anxiety Inventory and the Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN), with the data falling within the significance zone of 0.95 with a correlation coefficient r = 0.416.