Understand About Panick Attacks
Panick attacks refer to a series of uneasy events resulting in one all of a sudden experiencing incomprehensible and devastating anxiety or undue stress that spark off sudden response from the parasympathetic system. According to medical investigation facts, one in every five adult Americans has experienced panic attacks at some point of their lives and the peak age for the first full-scale attack is typically 15-19 years.
One going through this trouble undergoes short breathing, dizziness, and quivering. Its signs are unanticipated and noticeably dissimilar from common anxiety and match to those of a cardiovascular stroke. Panic attacks strike out of the blue, come out unprovoked, and cause people with crippling effects.
An individual can suffer from panick attacks at any point, while driving, shopping, jogging, attending the office, or sleeping and an attack can also lead to another because of increased anxiety about expectations about happening of the condition and intense thought to prevent it. A standard panic attack reaches peak within 10 minutes.
Panick Attack Examples:
Eddie experienced panick attacks many times while driving. In his own words, “I was driving on the highway and my heart started beating fast and I began to sweat and the cars in front of me seemed to be coming at me. I was also shaking and felt an urgent need to pull over. This went on for about an 30 minutes. I went last week to the North Georgia Mountains which is about 1 1/2 hours with about 25 miles of expressway and even after taking a pill before I also experienced another attack again. I am now terrified to drive on the freeway or even mountainous roads. I am terrified of driving over a bridge don’t even go there.”
Victoria has a panic attack while undergoing health checkup. In her words, “I have never had panic attacks before but after getting “stuck” in an MRI machine about 2 months ago, I’ve been having one heck of a time with them – it’s terrible. Several doctors have said the MRI had nothing to do with it but now everything seems to trigger these attacks – even a trip to the local “new age/relaxation” store made me have one. It’s getting harder to leave home by myself and that is NOT like me.”
Amy, an university student, suffered from panick attacks while in her class. She described “About a month ago, I was university and I was quite sick with a cold or flu or something similar, but went to my lecture anyway. My friend was telling me to leave the lecture and just go home – I was feeling pretty terrible with that and with stress. I suddenly felt an overwhelming emotion of anxiety and panic – I don’t really know how to describe it. It consumed my whole body and I started to cry uncontrollably. This is very unusual as I do not like crying in front of people. I couldn’t catch my breath, was feeling trapped within my body and I just had to get away from people (which I did). I wasn’t thinking about anything in particular when this happened (trying to concentrate on my lecturer actually) but I just had an overwhelming sense of panic. This feeling lasted for about 15-20 mins. I don’t feel that I can describe exactly what I felt, but it was bad.”
Symbols of Panick Attacks
The common symbols of panick attacks comprise uncontainable trembling, breathlessness, and severe palpitations leading to chest pain. The attacks generate a condition that makes one to undergo thumping heartbeat, a sensation of being stifled, tingling in the hands, and perceptual disorders. A sense of fear onsets resulting in unimaginable thoughts of terror or horrible happenings and produces an urge to escape.
Often one feeling from the disturbance experiences helpless to inhibit anxiety, lacks control, and does upsetting acts. Many patients also undergo burning sensation in the face and neckline and unwarranted sweating. These symptoms also vary from one to another and while some can tolerate them, many experience unbearable fitness troubles because of abrupt onset of this condition.
As per the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, a person experiencing the following symbols is expected to suffer from a panic attack.
1. Palpitations or increasing heart rate leading to chest pain or pain
2. Sweating, wavering, shivers or hot flashes
3. Breath shortness or feeling of choking
4. Impression of abdominal distress, dizziness or being wobbly
5. Derealization or depersonalization feeling
6. Concern of going crazy or dying
7. Lack of sensation
Reasons for Panick Attacks
Akin to any other health disorder, panick attacks are caused by different reasons. Various studies and reports on the issue has linked the attacks to emotional disturbances, medical disorders, and other factors. Mental conditions, such as acute depression, posttraumatic stress problem, schizophrenia, generalized anxiety, infatuated compelling disorder, and particular phobia, are found to be responsible for panic attack in an individual. Misuse of substances, such as alcohol and drugs, also produces panic effects. While the intake of cocaine, caffeine, marijuana, opium, hallucinogens, and sleeping pills makes one prone to panic-like circumstance, their withdrawal also results in frequent panic attacks.
Medical disturbances also induce the onset of panic to an inordinate level. Asthma and cardiovascular diseases, such as supraventricular tachycardia, angina pectoris, pulmonary embolism, heart failure, and stroke trigger panic condition in patients. Researchers have also discovered solid link between panick attacks and hyperthyroidism, hypertension, blood electrolyte imbalance, hyperventilation, and tumor. Uncommon health conditions, including vestibular setback, Parkinson’s and Huntington’s disorders, seizure, serious metal poisoning, allergy effect, and temporal arteritis, are also linked to the panic disorder.
Not only medical problems, but also medications result in panic attacks. People with anxiety are possible to suffer from increased problem due to overdose or reaction of thyroid and asthma medications. Theophylline-based medication, antidepressants, amphetamine-class stimulants, hormones birth control patches, steroids, drugs used for hypertension, and caffeine-based drugs can also induce start of panic in a patient.
Panic and connected conditions are also attributed to some non-medical situations and life-style changes that lead to anxiety and stress. Reduced sleep and too much stress are factors. Certain behaviors and neurological disturbances, such as anxiety sensitivity, can be hereditary in nature and one is anticipated to respond in a typical way when he feels stress. There are numerous studies relating nutritional deficiency , including pausity of Vitamin B12, zinc, and magnesium, in a person to panick attacks. Lack of social backing and unnecessary life-style alteranations also lead to psychological disturbances that worsen anxiety.
Dealing With Panick Attacks
A variety of cures are accessible to tackle panic disorder and avoid occurence of panick attacks. One can use psychoanalysis, use self-help techniques and unconventional treatments, or use medicines to prevent such condition. Psychoanalysis assists victims in considering the actual world and become attentive to their dysfunctional thinking process responsible for panic disturbance.
Psychiatrists use cognitive-behavioral therapy, social skill training, and interpersonal therapy to assist patients in defeating anxiety problems and panic response. While cognitive psychology encourages patients’ strength judge an event and perception of particular conditions, behavioral therapy aids them in modifying responses and swiftly reply to anxiety-provoking situations.
Social ability education facilitates sharing of feelings, overcoming of fears, and successful confronting of behavioral challenges. Greater knowledge of social conditions and pre-training in methods to overcome them assist in having better command over anxiety in the face of provocation. Alternative treatments and self-help methods can be preferred both as short and long-term option against panick attacks. Recurrent practice of meditation and deep breathing techniques promotes physical and emotional restrict vital to tame anxiety. Similarly, one can assist himself in avoiding the onset of attacks by diverting his mind, calming nerves, and practicing physical relaxation methods. With the so many alternatives at hand for treating and overcoming panick attacks, the pick is now yours.
Only you can choose approaches you shall choose to practice to help yourself realize the freedom from panic problem. There are many home products that offer guidance and various of ways to restrain occurrence of panic attacks and consequent health conditions.
Summary
Knowledge of panick attacks is vital to handle the emotional condition effectively whenever the need arises. Panic attacks are sparked off by sudden responses from the sympathetic nervous system. It can set off agreat deal of injury to our mental and physical health. An unambiguous awareness of information about this condition can assist you and your doctor in knowing about the causes and taking apt steps to address it.
Dr. Rich is a Psychiatrist who writes on addiction and topics of anxiety. You can find information on panic attacks at anxietypit.com. Dr. Rich writes about addiction topics including: suboxone drug test at allaboutsuboxone.com
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