How to know if you are in a panic attack or not at the moment and what to do with it. Part 1.

Byadmin

“Oh, so what happened yesterday, why does my head hurt so much, did I drink more than I should have!?” – John’s thoughts flashed through his mind. He went to the bathroom to tidy himself up, and then he felt that his whole body began to tremble from fatigue and it became difficult to breathe. Literally a few seconds passed, as his consciousness was seized by a wild fear that now he would suffocate from suffocation and his life would end. In horror, he gasped for air, looking around, hoping to find someone who could help him…

I think some of the readers who experience panic attacks from time to time can recognize themselves in this episode. This condition is really difficult to bear.

Here I will try to present the material in such a way that the information is simple, understandable and, most importantly, practical, which you could apply yourself.

Some statistics.

Currently, it is believed that 5 out of 100 adults have an anxiety disorder. Although, my experience tells me that more people suffer from anxiety.

Women suffer from panic attacks more often than men. Unfortunately, cases of anxiety disorder and panic attacks in adolescents and even children have become more frequent.

Anxiety is a good indicator of the state of society. Various cataclysms (economic, political, climatic and others) always increase anxiety among people. COVID-19 has shown this well.

We strongly recommend that you pay attention to this: it will make you more effective.

If you suddenly begin to feel any anxiety and it begins to “enter” your life more and more often, then you should consult a doctor (usually a psychiatrist), since only a doctor can accurately determine what kind of pathology you have.

Look, anxiety disorder can be not only part of a mental illness, but also part of some somatic disease, for example, ischemic encephalopathy. As you understand, the treatment methods for these pathologies will differ greatly.

What can trigger a panic attack (PA)?

Dear reader, if you have reached this point, it means that you are sufficiently interested in the topic raised in the article. Try to read the material thoughtfully and, if necessary, several times.

The problem can be solved well if you correctly understand the nature of this problem, as well as the methods that help solve this problem. First, you need to consider some points.

Point 1. A panic attack always occurs against the background of existing anxiety.
Point 2. A panic attack is usually triggered by a certain stress, which, in turn, spurs existing anxiety.
Point 3. A panic attack differs from a normal anxiety state.
Point 4. A panic attack has certain symptoms.

Let’s go into more detail.

Point 1. For a panic attack to occur, a person’s psyche must already be in a state of anxiety. Being calm is a natural state of the human psyche. And anxiety is like a kind of tension, an internal “pressure” of the psyche. And this tension (pressure) of the psyche is almost always present and creates a certain background. If there is no tension, then a panic attack is impossible.

2nd point. PA can be triggered by a certain stress.

Types of stress.

  1. Physical stress. This can be lack of sleep. This can be a hard workout in the gym. This can be intense physical work.
  2. Emotional stress. Here, I think, everything is clear. A person can endure a series of emotional stresses, for example, get a reprimand from the boss, then quarrel with his relatives at home, then break something, lose, accidentally spoil something. And this chain of stresses can trigger a panic attack.
  3. Toxic stress. Alcohol intoxication.

3rd point. PA is still different from a normal anxiety state. In fact, PA is a kind of anxiety state. This is a special type of culmination of an anxiety state with its own characteristics.

Let’s take a look at how events can develop.

A person already has an anxiety state (that is, the person’s psyche is in constant tension). Then he experiences a certain stress of any nature (physical, emotional, toxic). Due to the presence of a constant anxiety state, the patient’s psyche is, on the one hand, agitated, and on the other hand, his nervous system is exhausted (that is, one can say, the tolerance of his psyche to any external stress stimuli is reduced). And so, he, the patient,

  • experienced stress,
  • then his anxiety increased,
  • then some symptoms in the body arose or intensified,
  • after that, he, the patient, began to pay attention to these symptoms and may think that something is wrong with him,
  • then he develops a strong fear for his health and condition and the patient begins to think that a catastrophe will happen to his health.

All this happens in almost a matter of seconds and all the symptoms of a panic attack appear.

Here, a panic attack is like the body is trying to throw off the accumulated load that has reached a critical mass. In this way, the body is looking for opportunity to protect us from excessive stress.

How does a panic attack manifest itself?

A panic attack usually lasts no more than 30 minutes.

All symptoms of a panic attack can be divided into several groups:

  1. Emotional sensations.
  2. Physical sensations.
  3. Mental distortions.

Emotional sensations. During a panic attack, the patient feels a wild fear for his health, and for the fact that something is about to happen to the person here and now. The person stops trusting his body and it seems to him that one of the following consequences is about to happen to him at this moment. These are: myocardial infarction, stroke, suffocation, loss of consciousness, loss of the ability to understand oneself and the environment (loss of self-control).

Body sensations. Rapid heartbeat, difficulty breathing, chest tightness, trembling in the limbs, numbness of the tongue, blurred vision, severe weakness and other symptoms.

Mental distortions. Derealization and depersonalization.

Derealization is the feeling that as if the external enviroment is unreal, distant or dreamlike.

Derepsonalization is the experience of feeling detached from your own thoughts, emotions, body, or actions.

Approximate diagnostics

The attack usually develops suddenly, reaches its peak within a few minutes and lasts about 10-30 minutes.


To make a diagnosis, it is important to exclude other medical conditions with similar symptoms (for example, heart disease, hyperthyroidism, epilepsy) using examinations: ECG, ultrasound of the heart, MRI of the brain, tests, etc.


Also, with panic disorder, attacks are repeated, and for a month or more there is persistent anxiety about the recurrence of attacks or a change in behavior aimed at preventing them.


Thus, a panic attack is a sudden attack of intense fear with at least four specific symptoms, which is not caused by a somatic disease and is accompanied by a characteristic clinical picture.

To be continued…

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