Common Maladaptive Behaviors Related to Panic Disorder

If you experience frequent panic (anxiety) attacks and have been diagnosed with panic disorder or another anxiety disorder, you may have inadvertently developed maladaptive, or poor, patterns of behavior to cope with your situation.

Understanding Maladaptive Behaviors

Maladaptive behaviors inhibit your ability to adjust healthily to particular situations. In essence, they prevent you from adapting or coping well with the demands and stresses of life. Often used to reduce anxiety, maladaptive behaviors result in dysfunctional and non-productive outcomes—in other words, they are more harmful than helpful.

Maladaptive behaviors are classified here as dysfunctional because they tend to provide only short-term relief from anxiety—they don't help you cope with your anxiety in the long run. These behaviors are non-productive because they do nothing to alleviate the root of your problem and may, in fact, serve as reinforcers of the underlying problem.

Maladaptive Behaviors Associated With Panic Disorder

Some common maladaptive behaviors that are related to panic disorder include:

Avoidance

For many people, the symptoms of panic disorder often trigger an array of avoidant behaviors. This can result in agoraphobia, a common complication that occurs in 25 percent to 50 percent of people with panic disorder. Agoraphobia can take a little time to develop, or it can come on rather quickly. Some sufferers believe their agoraphobic symptoms began after their first panic attack. Once agoraphobia takes root, avoidance behaviors often multiply quickly.

Substance Misuse

People with anxiety disorders, including panic disorder and agoraphobia, sometimes use alcohol or other substances as a means of coping with fear and anxiety. Studies show that people with anxiety disorders are more likely to have an alcohol or other substance abuse disorder than those without an anxiety disorder. Abusing alcohol or other drugs to control stress and anxiety is classified as a maladaptive behavior because it provides only temporary relief from anxiety and actually may create more long-term problems. Substance abuse does not fix the underlying problem and long-term alcohol or drug use or misuse can lead to tolerance, dependence, and for some, addiction.

Withdrawing

Many challenges in life require ongoing action—both behaviorally and mentally. Sometimes we struggle and succeed. Sometimes we struggle and fail. When the latter occurs, we can try again, or we can withdraw from the conflict with a resigned acceptance of our situation. 

Converting Anxiety to Anger

It's normal for people who have panic disorder, agoraphobia, or another anxiety disorder to experience frustration because of their condition. Sometimes this frustration can develop into anger—anger toward yourself, anger at your situation, or anger toward others. This type of anger is rooted in anxiety. Anger is a powerful feeling that is a normal part of the human experience. Everyone has felt angry at one time or another, and anger itself is not a bad thing. But if you express your anger in unhealthy ways, it can become a problem. Plus, anger can intensify your anxiety and worsen your panic symptoms. The good news is that anger management programs can help you find more adaptive ways to deal with anxiety.

A Word From Verywell

For many people, the recovery process from anxiety disorders is slow and filled with setbacks. Recovery is accomplished with diligence and a strong resolve to not accept the control that panic attacks and other anxiety-related symptoms have over our lives.