For panic attack sufferers, experiencing an attack is a frightful event. Knowing the symptoms of a panic attack and available treatment options can lessen the stress surrounding the dreadful disorder.
As a broad description,
a panic attack is definitely an episode of severe panic or fright. Unfortunately, it often takes place suddenly with very little or no notice. In a few instances, there's a clear prompt that would be indicating the approaching bout. Possibly, as an example, the attack would be the result of fear of getting trapped in an elevator or anticipation of a big approaching footrace you will soon run, even though in other situations, the attacks apparently initiate out of nowhere.
An anxiety hit normally peaks out at its highest stage within ten minutes, but it infrequently lasts to last over a half hour. To anyone who's never experienced one of those events, this may not seem dreadfully continuous. However, it is an eternity to the one who is experiencing it. The terror could be so harsh that you may feel as if are preparing to die or completely lose control. The raw signs of a panic attack have proven to be themselves so extreme that they're regularly mistaken with developing other illnesses, even a heart attack. Regular warning signs include a rush of overwhelming panic, sense of losing power or going mad, rapid heart rate, chest pain, nausea, difficulty breathing, a choking sensation, hyperventilation, hot flashes, shivering, trembling, belly ache, and feeling as if watching yourself from a distant place.
If you experience repeated, unexpected panic attacks, and also you fear you will go through an attack at a later time, you may be a sufferer of panic disorder. Panic disorder may perhaps be joined by agoraphobia, and that is the fear of being somewhere that is impracticable for getting medical assistance, or in a place that would be very hard to flee from if you did experience an anxiety incident.
The exact reasons of panic attacks aren't yet completely known. However, we do know that the chance for having panic attacks seems to run in families and there seems to be a correlation with major life transitions like graduating at a college, getting started in a first occupation, getting married, and having a newborn. Intense emotional pressure, like losing a loved one or losing employment might also cause a panic attack.
Panic attacks can be brought on by health conditions such heart problems or by stimulant use or withdrawal from prescription medication. Fortunately, anxiety attacks are capable of being treated with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and perhaps accompanied by prescription drugs.
Cognitive behavioral therapy focuses in on the sufferer's thinking patterns and behaviors that can possibly be setting off the panic attacks. It helps you look at your fears in a more realistic light and sense that you will be taking control of the condition. Exposure counseling exposes you to the physical panic and anxiety feelings while you're protected in a safe, trustworthy and restricted location. The goal of this kind of treatment is to provide you with the chance to determine ways of dealing with your concern. You'll be invited to do things that evoke your attacks, such as holding your breath for an extended time. As you review these actions and your response, your fear lessens and also you experience a better feeling of control over your anxiety.
This information should not be an alternative to medical guidance furnished by a certified healthcare professional.
