After a busy and tiring day, a panic attack caught me asleep for the first time. They call it palpitations, I felt the sound of my heart in my ears. I didn't know where to go or what to do. I couldn't breathe, I was suffocating. I remember trying to breathe harder. Suddenly my head started to spin. My whole body was shaking and I was sweating. My fingers were numb, I was afraid of going crazy. Since I didn't want to alarm my mother, who was sleeping in the next room and was already worried about everything, I tried to get through it on my own and distract myself. It took ten minutes but it was worth hours for me. I don't know if what I experienced was a sign of a heart attack or if I was losing my mind, but I was quite tired when it was over. A few days later, I had the same attack at work and this time we had to call an ambulance. It has been six months since the doctor who performed the emergency intervention that day told me that I was having a panic attack and that I should see a psychiatrist as soon as possible. During this period, I had many attacks and each time I went to the emergency room thinking I was having another heart attack. The worst part is the fact that I can no longer go on long journeys even if there is someone else with me. I am afraid of having a panic attack in the car, and I believe that even if there was someone with me at that time, they would not be able to help me. In short, my life is restricted and I cannot prevent it…
Considering that one in every ten people experiences at least one panic attack at some point in their life, I think it is necessary to focus on the concept of panic attack. Panic attack is a sudden and severe anxiety state caused by a number of physical and cognitive symptoms. Attacks begin with intense fear and anxiety. The person's thoughts are that this situation will result in disaster. Fear and anxiety reach their highest level as thoughts drift towards disaster. Physical symptoms such as shortness of breath and feeling of suffocation, palpitations, dizziness, tremors, sweating, nausea and chest pain dominate the picture. During attacks where the level of anxiety is intense, the person may perceive his/her environment as unreal. Individuals often think they are having a heart attack due to physical symptoms such as palpitations, shortness of breath and chest pain that occur during an attack. Besides, don't lose your mind, Cognitive symptoms such as loss of control and fear of death are also experienced within the system. Panic attacks usually end within ten to fifteen minutes. The severity and frequency of attacks vary from person to person. One of the most important indicators regarding the continuity of panic attacks is the presence of anticipatory anxiety in the patient. Anticipatory anxiety is the fear that a person may have a new panic attack. Because of this fear, sensitivity develops to the slightest symptom in the body, and by misappreciating these symptoms, it becomes easier to have a new attack. For example, patients begin to focus on situations that increase their breathing and think about what might happen if they do sports. If attacks persist in some patients, safety precautions are taken. That is, they begin to avoid places and situations where it would not be easy to get help while having an attack. Going to the market, to the market, to the cinema, or going on a long journey may become impossible without someone accompanying the patient. This type of behavior causes the cycle to become vicious. Panic attacks begin to become more frequent, and as they become more frequent, avoidance
begins to increase. Genetic factors may underlie the occurrence of panic attacks, as well as exposure to stressful life events, childhood traumas, high anxiety sensitivity and the patient's negative meaning to physical symptoms. Panic disorder changes the patient's life negatively if left untreated. It should not be forgotten that positive results can be obtained in a short time with medication and psychotherapy under the supervision of a psychiatrist.
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