Panic attack – learn to be proactive

11 min read
Panic attack – learn to be proactive
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Panic attacks – attacks of anxiety, fear for no reason that are hard to bear. Panic attacks are possible at night, during the day. The condition is accompanied by somatic symptoms. Belongs to the category of neurotic disorders.

Panic attacks are possible with and without panic disorder. Sometimes accompanied by the development of pheochromocytoma, phobias, depression.

Possible against the background of endocrine disorders, heart disease, somatoform dysfunction. There are descriptions of panic attacks while taking medications. Panic attacks are quite common, familiar to more than 20% of the world’s population aged 20-30 years. Many women experience panic attacks during pregnancy.

Reasons

While doctors do not know exactly what causes panic attacks. Some of the factors, conditions, predisposing deviations leading to panic attacks have been found out.

The mechanism triggering an attack was determined by evolution – it is a psychophysical response to a dangerous situation. Symptoms, causes and treatment of panic attacks are a hot topic of research for neurologists and psychiatrists.

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It is known that the condition is preceded by an adrenaline rush that stimulates the sympathetic nervous system. The internal organs are filled with blood, the pressure rises, the blood is oversaturated with oxygen.

The cause of a panic attack is a response to a dangerous situation in the absence of one.

For the first time, an attack develops under conditions that affect the human nervous system (overload, overwork, exhaustion). Panic attacks are typical after alcohol, coffee, tea. Possible reaction to conflict, sudden or chronic stress. The person interprets the situation catastrophically. This increases anxiety, the psychosomatics of a panic attack.

panic attack
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Indirect causes of the condition are:

  • inability to accept negative emotions;
  • misunderstanding of one’s own emotional state;
  • avoiding negativity.
As neurologists, psychiatrists, and psychologists assure, panic attacks recur with intense secondary fears. The person is tense, closed; agoraphobia often develops.

Panic attacks are common in children and young people. Manifestation occurs at a young age. More than half of cases – up to 24 years. Genetic abnormalities are a predisposing factor. The risk of manifestation is higher if a close relative has panic attack syndrome.

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Panic attacks and alcohol and drug addiction are closely related. Violation is often observed with depression, anxiety. Panic attacks are possible with cervical osteochondrosis.

Conducted surveys have found that more often the cause of an attack of a situational panic attack is:

  • family difficulties;
  • problems in the work team;
  • pressure in an educational institution;
  • heavy situation in the city;
  • stress situation in the country;
  • concern about the health, success of loved ones.

Symptoms

The main symptom of a panic attack is an attack of fear. The patient feels anxiety, panics, is internally tense. Associated manifestations:

  • increased heart rate;
  • excessive sweating;
  • shortness of breath;
  • shiver;
  • nausea;
  • suffocation;
  • dizziness;
  • proximity of fainting;
  • sleep disorder;
  • confused thoughts;
  • paresthesia of limbs;
  • fear of dying, going crazy, losing control of oneself;
  • derealization;
  • depersonalization.
panic attack
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There are panic attacks in a dream; sometimes attacks are accompanied by stool disorders, abdominal pain, cramps of the limbs, and an increase in pressure. When questioning the patient, determine how many associated symptoms accompany the attack. They say about panic attacks if there are 4 or more of them.

If we talk about what a panic attack is, in simple words, we can formulate the phenomenon as an anxiety attack. For some, this is a state of internal tension, others fall into severe panic. More often, doctors observe panic attacks with a low degree of emotional manifestations. The study of numerous descriptions of how a panic attack occurs has revealed broad time limits for an attack: from several minutes to many hours.

The average duration is from a quarter to a half hour. Panic attacks happen from once a month to several times a day; more often spontaneous, but the patient is not always able to distinguish situational from unprovoked.

The increase in pressure during panic attacks, sweating and trembling make us look for an explanation for the condition in heart health. Incorrect interpretation leads to unsuccessful visits to highly specialized specialists. Psychotherapy helps with panic attacks, so doctors usually refer the patient to a psychiatrist, psychotherapist, neurologist. Worried about misdiagnosis, a person is prone to hypochondria.

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Since it is not known from personal experience how panic attacks manifest themselves before the first attack, the episode leaves a strong impression. Almost always, a repetition of the incident follows, forming the anxiety of waiting for an attack. This reinforces the pathological condition. If panic attacks come in similar situations, the person avoids them; develops agoraphobia, disadaptation to society.

That’s interesting! Having noticed the symptoms of the condition behind you, it is worth considering how to attack a panic attack first. The first step is to recognize the problem and seek help from a neurologist, cardiologist, psychotherapist.

Symptoms of panic attacks in women

Representatives of the weaker sex experience PA more often than men. Symptoms of a panic attack in women are similar to the list described above. The condition often develops at the age of 25-44 years. The pulse during a panic attack quickens, the heart beats often, breathing stops, there is not enough air. Often the state of fainting.

panic attack
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Panic attacks are especially common during pregnancy. The peculiarity of the case is the limited methods of treatment due to the inability to prescribe popular drugs to the patient. Psychotherapeutic support, hypnotic treatment, auto-training for panic attacks become means of controlling the state.

Symptoms of panic attacks in men

Gender affects only the statistics of the distribution of cases. Symptoms of a panic attack in men do not differ from characteristic women. The main symptom is an attack of anxiety, fear. It is known how long a panic attack lasts: an average of 15-30 minutes.

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When assessing the state, attention is paid to accompanying signs from the list of associated ones. If more than 3 matches are identified, they turn to a neurologist, a psychotherapist. More often panic attacks are observed at the age of 25-64 years; the peak falls on the age group of 25-44 years.

Symptoms of panic attacks in children and adolescents

In most minors, panic attacks are associated with hormonal imbalances due to the maturation of the body.

Symptoms of a panic attack in adolescents are typical, similar to those in adults. Emotional components are strongly expressed. The temperature during panic attacks is almost always stable, normal, although flushes of heat and cold are felt.

After a while after the first, a repetition follows. There are cases when attacks worsened at a young, mature and even old age.

How it appears

The peculiarity of the condition is that many panic attackers do not understand what is happening to them. Often an attack is confused with an interruption in the work of the heart. How to distinguish a heart attack from a panic attack is clarified at the appointment with a cardiologist.

If there is chest pain, there is not enough air. It is possible to finally determine the nature of the attack only on the basis of the results of instrumental, laboratory studies.

panic attack
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You can recognize an attack by breathing: during panic attacks, it goes astray, there is a feeling of lack of oxygen. At the same time, an inexplicable causeless fear appears, which is difficult to control. The patient feels what is happening as if from the outside: it seems that the attack is not happening to him. Less often, anxiety is replaced by:

  • longing;
  • oppression;
  • aggression;
  • tearfulness.
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The neurologist will tell you about the dangers of panic attacks after diagnosing the condition. The attack itself is not dangerous, but reduces the quality of life and provokes severe mental disorders. If you notice these symptoms, you should consult a doctor.

That’s interesting! Don’t be afraid to die from a panic attack. The attack itself is not lethal.

Views

In neurology, panic attacks are divided into 3 types:

  • spontaneous;
  • situational;
  • conditionally situational.

The first type of panic attack is a sudden attack with no apparent cause.

The second is preceded by the formation of a traumatic situation or the expectation of one. Situational is possible on the exam, on the eve of the conflict.

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The third type is provoked by chemical, biological factors. These include:

  • alcohol;
  • caffeine;
  • narcotic substances;
  • hormones.

Detection

Before starting the treatment of panic attacks, assess the patient’s condition. A severity scale has been developed. It is based on the panic attack test. The test result is used to determine the severity of the panic attack.

Panic Attack Checklist

A panic attack questionnaire is a set of questions that require an unequivocal positive or negative answer. The patient reports seizures and their features.

Panic Test

First set of questions:

  1. Have you had any anxiety attacks in the last month?
  2. Have there been such people before?
  3. Did the seizures happen unpredictably?
  4. Is there a fear of repeating the situation?
panic attack
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The second block is devoted to sensations during an attack. Were there:

  1. Frequent, shallow breathing;
  2. Frequent, uneven heartbeat;
  3. Pain on the left side of the sternum;
  4. Sweating;
  5. Tides;
  6. Shortness of breath;
  7. Discomfort in the gastrointestinal tract;
  8. Numbness of limbs;
  9. Trembling in the body;
  10. Dizziness;
  11. Fear of dying.

The interpretation of the results is done by a psychotherapist or a neurologist.

Other diagnostics

The method of determining the diagnosis is a survey of the patient with an assessment of the frequency and severity of seizures. A typical symptom is a combination of fear and somatic manifestations. Panic attacks are defined by behavioral changes following the first attack.

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Features of panic attacks:

  • typical duration up to an hour;
  • spontaneous resolution;
  • repetitive situations.

The diagnostic criterion is the manifestation of symptoms that come suddenly, reaching a maximum in 10 minutes.

What to do with panic attacks?

Main measures:

  • breath control;
  • switching attention.

The psychotherapist talks about what to do with a panic attack at the very first training. A panic attack is accompanied by hyperventilation, which provokes a deterioration in the condition due to an imbalance of gases in the blood. The algorithm for how to calm down during a panic attack begins with the normalization of breathing. To do this, press a paper bag to the nose, breathe into it slowly, evenly.

panic attack
Picture: Viktor Gladkov | Dreamstime

To control panic, you need to switch thoughts, shifting the focus of attention. The first aid provided to oneself during a panic attack is the maximum concentration on the business that the person was engaged in before the attack. The first time is difficult. Psychologists advise:

  • count numerous small objects nearby;
  • solve an arithmetic problem;
  • make a massage of the hands, ears.

Panic Attack Exercises

Breathing exercises for panic attacks are an effective way to restore gas balance in the blood. This weakens the somatic symptoms of the condition. The most effective exercise is called “5-2-5”. The task of the practitioner is to breathe with the diaphragm.

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Panic attack exercise begins with a deep breath (5 seconds). This is followed by holding the breath for 2 seconds and exhaling for five seconds. The cycle is repeated twice. Do 5 ordinary pairs of “inhale-exhale”. Return to exercise.

Hypnosis for panic attacks

Hypnosis for panic attacks is a well-established method of working with patients. There are two approaches:

  • classic;
  • Ericksonian.

With the classical method, the patient is introduced into a state of change in consciousness, a kind of dream; suggest settings. The effect is achievable quickly, but the method is not applicable to everyone.

The Ericksonian method involves immersing the waking client in a trance and gently forming the right attitudes. The effectiveness of the technique is high, because the client does not resist.

Help yourself and others

Useful autotraining. During an attack, repeat the statement about the completion of the acute phase in a matter of minutes. Remind themselves of the safety of the state, the absence of a serious threat.

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Psychologists explain how to help a person with a panic attack: you need to ignore what is happening, shift the focus of attention, demonstrate calmness, take the patient by the hands and talk to him in a calm tone, assuring that the situation will be resolved soon.

That’s interesting! The support of loved ones is a part of the treatment, comparable in importance to a medication course.

How to deal with a panic attack on your own?

The task of the patient is to take control of breathing and shift the focus of attention in order to calm down. It’s easier if you have a paper bag on hand. It is pressed to the mouth and slowly, deeply inhaled, exhaled into it. If there is nothing like this nearby, hands are folded in a boat and pressed to the lips. Normalization of breathing is the first and main point of helping yourself.

panic attack
Picture: Alberto Jorrin Rodriguez | Dreamstime

An important aspect of state control is understanding its nature. To get rid of a panic attack, it is necessary to study information about attacks, find out provoking factors, and determine the nature of the course of the acute phase. Having identified what leads to an aggravation, these situations are excluded from everyday life or reduce their impact on consciousness. Consulting a psychologist or visiting a support group will help.

The practice of “safe place” is useful. It involves concentrating on the image of a certain place in which a person is invulnerable. Hold the picture in your mind until the seizure is over.

Consequences

The consequences of panic attacks are not lethal, but unpleasant. Lack of treatment leads to agoraphobia.

A person loses adaptation to society, closes in himself. Depression, neurosis, other mental disorders are possible. Decreased performance, declining quality of life.

Output

Panic attacks are twice as common in women as in men; the main age group is 25-44 years. Although it is impossible to die from them, the consequences strongly affect a person’s life, so attacks require careful monitoring and treatment.
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On average, more than 20% of young people know from their own experience how panic attacks manifest themselves, although they are not always aware of the reason for the attacks. Assuming an attack, you need to contact a neurologist or psychotherapist; upon confirmation of the diagnosis – undergo treatment and learn methods of controlling the body.

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