Panic Attack Symptoms
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, 40 million Americans suffer from anxiety disorders.
That is a huge percentage (18%) of the whole population of the US.
If you have anxiety attacks, this should help a little, because you know that you are not alone, and that anxiety is a real disease, not just something in your head.
There are actually 5 types of anxiety disorders, and the symptoms with all of them are all about irrational fear, ie, fear, where there is actually nothing to really be afraid of:
* panic disorder,
* obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD),
* PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder,
* social phobia (or social anxiety disorder),
* specific phobias, and
* generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)
In this blog article, we will focus on panic disorder, which is the medical term for what most of us call panic attacks or anxiety attacks.
6 million Americans suffer from anxiety attacks, affecting all ages and genders, but the highest risk is for women who are between childhood and middle age. While some people experience a single panic attack and never see another one, for most people the problem lasts 6 months to several years.
Anxiety attacks are sudden attacks of terror, where you feel an impending sense of doom and acute fear. Panic attacks can occur anytime, even when you are sleeping. While the intense feelings usually subside after 10 minutes, some symptoms can last several hours.
Physical symptoms can include the following:
* a very rapid heart rate
* sweatiness
* feeling weak
* feeling faint
* feeling dizziness
* being chilled or flush
* tingling or numbing feelings
* nausea
* pains in the chest
* feeling smothered.
A fear of ones own unexplained physical symptoms is also common with anxiety attacks. People having anxiety attacks sometimes believe they are having heart attacks, losing their minds, or on the verge of death. They cant predict when or where an attack will occur, and between episodes many worry intensely and dread the next attack.
Panic disorder also sometimes is paired with other serious problems, such as depression. Symptoms of depression include alcoholism, drug abuse, feelings of sadness or hopelessness, changes in appetite or sleep patterns, low energy, and difficulty concentrating.
People who have full-blown, repeated panic attacks can become very disabled by their condition and should seek treatment before they start to avoid places or situations where panic attacks have occurred.
For example, if a panic attack happened in an airplane, someone with panic disorder can develop a strong fear of flying.
Some peoples lives become so restricted that they avoid normal activities, such as grocery shopping or driving. About one-third become housebound or are only able to confront what they fear when accompanied by a trusted person. When the condition progresses this far, it is called agoraphobia, or fear of open spaces.
Early treatment can often prevent agoraphobia, but people with panic disorder may sometimes go from doctor to doctor for years and visit the emergency room repeatedly before someone correctly diagnoses their condition.
My own experience with panic attacks is very similar to this.
My panic attacks started when I was 21. I was intensely scared, and my physical symptoms included feeling dizzy and also feeling like I was being smothered.
My doctor started me on beta blockers and then other tranquilizers, but I found these didn’t really stop the attacks, they only made me feel better temporarily. Because they were expensive, and had nasty side effects, I eventually stopped them.
I then tried exercise and deep breathing, but these didn’t stop my anxiety attacks.
I then gave up flying and driving and most social encounters for 3 years.
I finally found a way to stop these panic attacks. I felt eternally grateful that they had stopped, and I now try to provide support and information to others who suffer from panic attacks.
