What Are Panic Attacks?
Anxiety disorder, or commonly known as panic attacks, is a sudden surge of tremendous fear. These attacks happen at the most unpredictable occasions and for unclear reasons. Unknown to many, panic attacks affect both children and adults and one in every 50 people have experienced one or two panic attacks in their lifetime. It is said that early recognition in childhood and teen years may help curb the recurrence of panic attacks in adulthood.
Understanding the gravity of Panic attacks:
Panic disorder is a serious condition that must not be taken lightly or dismissed as an attention-seeking tactic. A variety of serious effects may emanate from recurrence of the attacks, such as alcohol and drug dependency, phobias, incapability to live a normal life, financial incompetence, and suicide. The most immediate effect of a panic attack is “social avoidance”. People who suffer from a panic disorder tend to retreat to their comfort zones and refuse to mingle with others. This is due to the fear of being embarrassed by another attack, or to be judged as eccentric by others. Oftentimes, as these attacks do not give warning signals as when to strike, people who have experienced a panic attack would refuse to drive or conduct an activity that would possibly cause harm to oneself or others when a panic attack strikes.
How will you know if you are already experiencing a panic attack?
Panic attacks are characterized by an outpouring of indescribable fear. This fear can come from nowhere and can be caused by anything in particular. Panic attacks are manifested by racing heartbeats, profuse sweating, and difficulty in breathing, chest pains, and nausea, extreme temperature changes such as hot flashes or cold chills, and thoughts of helplessness, death and suicide. If you experience any of these or a combination of the above symptoms for a period of time, it is most likely that you have experienced a panic attack.
A Panic disorder is differentiated from any other emotional or mental problem by its nature of unpredictability. It occurs suddenly without warning and could not be stopped when evident. The fear that is being experienced by the individual experiencing the attack is too overwhelming that a sense of despair is the first reaction, thus the episodes of panic. Most of the time, the foreboding fear is out of proportion to the actual situation. The fear comes from the feeling of being out of control. Human nature finds comfort in taking situations in control.
What causes Panic Attacks?
There are two reasons that catapult the onset of Panic Attacks: Psychological and Physiological factors. It is said that Panic Attacks come from extreme and life-changing decisions and situations. These situations are most likely to be stress heavy and life changing: recent loss of a loved one, near death experiences, separation and divorce, financial loss, employment layoff and even sudden career changes. These changes are sudden and pose great emotional impacts to people. When left acknowledged, and coupled with social pressure, this depression and stress will turn into panic attacks.
If a family member has experienced panic attacks in the past, one is pre-disposed to suffer from panic disorder. If one has suffered from depression, an elevated chance of suffering from panic attacks is most likely. This kind of biological malfunction has yet to be tested and proven though. These physiological factors contributing to anxiety disorder may work together and may trigger an attack out of the blue.
Is there a way out of the tunnel?
People with panic disorder are more afraid of the likelihood of suffering from attacks than they are more afraid of specific things and events. An acknowledgement of the situation is the first step of healing. Understanding what panic disorder is and how it works will help you find your first and immediate solution. It is important that you seek the opinion and help of a licensed therapist for a thorough assessment of the situation.
Do not dismiss your panic attacks as mere and simple paranoia. The earlier you get yourself diagnosed and treated, all the better.
