Let’s Chat about Panic Attacks
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Hey there! Gather ‘round so we can talk about something I have been hearing more and more people talk about over the past year more openly and that is panic attacks. Panic attacks are an experience that many people have and those that haven’t may know someone who has. It is more common than you may think and even youth can experience them. Like any other threat to our emotional health and wellness, understanding what a panic attack is and knowing what to do if they occur is important to get this issue under control. Keep reading to find out more about panic attacks and some strategies to cope…
What is a panic attack?
According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition, panic attacks occur when there’s “a surge of intense fear or intense discomfort that reaches a peak” within a short period of time. The symptoms reach their peak within minutes but for the person experiencing the panic attack, it can feel much longer.
The symptoms of panic attacks
The symptoms of panic attacks may differ in people but there are some aspects of them that are commonly experienced. These include:
Feeling shortness of breath
Suddenly feeling dizzy
Nausea
A pounding heart or the sense that your heart rate is accelerating
Fear of losing control or going crazy
Chills or hot sensations
Feeling very hot or chills
Sweating or shaking
And following a panic attack, people may experienced increased fear about having another panic attack.
What are the causes for panic attacks?
The short answer to this question is that there is no one cause for panic attacks. Having anxiety often accompanies panic attacks- even when they seem to come out of nowhere. Panic attacks can be situational as well. That is, they can be triggered by some kind of stressor and a tremendous feeling of overwhelm. Over time, if people experience panic attacks with some frequency, they may also develop an oversensitivity to their symptoms of panic in any unrelated situation. For example, if a person has a panic attack and one of their symptoms is increased heart rate, they may start to avoid situations that may increase their heart rate under any circumstance. So they may stop working out, or riding on a rollercoaster with friends so they don’t have that feeling.
What perpetuates the experiencing of panic in some situations?
As I have said in previous posts about avoidance and anxiety, when we avoid things that bring on symptoms of panic, we feel better in the short term, but in the long term, we never learn that having symptoms of panic does not automatically mean we will have a panic attack. Avoidance also gives us a false sense of security. If you avoid running or anything that makes your heart rate increase, you trick yourself into thinking that is the way to ensure you will not have a panic attack. The down side to that is that you never learn that while a panic attack can be very scary, you can handle it and the chances are very high that you will get to the other side of those tough symptoms in just a few moments and be just fine.
So, what can you do if you suffer from panic attacks?
Talk to your primary care doctor about what you are experiencing. You want to rule out any medical issue that could explain your symptoms.
Schedule time to talk to a mental health professional with experience treating panic and anxiety so they can help you with a plan for how you can begin to address your symptoms. Check your insurance or ask your primary doctor for referrals for a mental health professional that specializes in treating panic and anxiety.
Journal your panic attacks. Monitoring these instances can be very helpful for your providers and may also help you to notice patterns and common triggers and consequences of your panic attacks. You will want to keep a log of when they happen, how long they occur, how intense or distressing they were (try using a scale of 1-10), and which symptoms you had during the incident. Take this with you when you see a licensed professional so they can help you address this issue.
Remember, The Well Family Spot blog is not meant to take the place of you seeing a professional to get help for your mental health. This and all the other posts are intended to give you some basic information about mental health challenges to help you feel less alone and ready to take steps to take back control of your life. Seeking help is not a sign of weakness or lack of strength. It REQUIRES strength and courage to decide that you need help to be well. Panic attacks, while very scary and distressing, can be resolved and decrease over time with help from your healthcare team. So if this sounds like something you or someone you love is experiencing, it’s never too soon or too late to get help for it. Let’s continue to get and stay well…together.
