The Correlation Between Panic Attacks and Scuba Accidents

http://www.apa.org/pubinfo/panic.html

Panic Disorder is a serious condition that around one out of every 75 people might experience. It usually appears during the teens or early adulthood, and while the exact causes are unclear, there does seem to be a connection with major life transitions that are potentially stressful: graduating from college, getting married, having a first child, and so on. There is also some evidence for a genetic predisposition; if a family member has suffered from panic disorder, you have an increased risk of suffering from it yourself, especially during a time in your life that is particularly stressful.

Researchers now think that many scuba divers have died because they experience a panic attack underwater. These attacks, often precipitated by the sudden appearance of a shark, equipment failure, or loss of visibility, cause a diver to act irrationally. For example, eyewitnesses have reported seeing divers--probably experiencing a panic attack--ripping off their air tanks while deep underwater. This exercise explores the connection between panic attacks and the deaths of scuba divers. It also examines techniques used by psychologists to reduce these senseless accidents.

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1. How does the incidence of panic attacks differ between men and women? How does it differ between experienced and novice divers?

2. Identify several measures a psychologist could employ to reduce panic-related diver accidents. Take one-half page to one page for your answer.

3. Three methods commonly used to treat anxiety--hypnosis, imagery, and relaxation--have been found to be largely ineffective in treating panic in divers. Offer possible explanations for this. How might you redesign these techniques to make them more effective for divers?

4. Explain the difference between trait anxiety and state anxiety. How could information on these personality variables be used to reduce diving deaths?