Panic attacks are bouts of intense anxiety that occur suddenly. It occurs with conscious or unconscious triggers. Although it does not have any physiological origin
, it begins with the person feeling various discomforts in his/her body. Examples of physical and physiological symptoms experienced during a panic
attack include:
- Palpitations, feeling of heartbeats or increased heart rate
- Sweating
- Tremors
- Can't catch your breath, feeling of suffocation, increased breathing,
- Chest pain or feeling of tightness in the chest,
- Nausea or abdominal pain,
- Dizziness, feeling light-headed, feeling like you are going to fall or faint,
- Derealization, alienation from self
- Numbness or tingling sensations,
- Coldness, hot and cold flushing,
- Frequent urination,
- Increased blood pressure,
All of the above may be seen in a person, or a few may be experienced by a person
. In addition to these physiological symptoms, the person experiences an intense fear of death, fear of going crazy, or fear of losing control
due to these symptoms that he/she feels during panic attacks. The most severe period of panic attacks usually lasts about 10 minutes and rarely
exceeds half an hour.
In order for the physical and physiological distress experienced and the resulting fear of death in the person to be called a panic attack, the person must first have a real feeling. It is necessary to check whether there is physiological distress
or not. While cardiological disorders such as heartbeat irregularities, low blood sugar, and diseases such as asthma may cause symptoms similar to panic attacks, the person's tea and coffee consumption should also be questioned. In panic disorder, people suddenly, They experience panic attacks unexpectedly and unrelated to any situation. In other words, while panic attacks occur against any specific situation or object, in panic disorder it is not clear when and where panic attacks will occur.
Panic disorder is considered a type of anxiety disorder. In addition to the fears they experience during panic
attacks, people also experience anxiety between attacks. They constantly worry that the attack will
come again. This is called anticipatory anxiety. In order to cope with this expectation
anxiety and to prevent a panic attack that may occur, people make various non-functional behavioral changes that disrupt their
living standards.
These are; Having other items that make you feel safe ) staying away from sports and sexual
activities
Drinking alcohol or taking sedatives to cope with anxiety and panic
Constantly measuring pulse or blood pressure
Changing eating patterns and diets giving excessive importance, staying away from many foods and beverages Many people may also experience agoraphobia. Agoraphobia is the avoidance of being in places where it is thought that help cannot be provided in case of
panic attack. People with agoraphobia avoid crowded places, closed places, driving,
being away from home, and being alone.
Fear and panic experienced in the face of a real danger are actually a functional
life-saving situation. It is a tool. For example, when we come face to face with a predatory animal or when we cross the street and see a car coming towards us, certain changes begin to occur in our nervous system and we begin to sweat, our heart begins to beat rapidly, we begin to breathe rapidly. we start. All of these push us to fight (to defend ourselves against real danger) or to flee (to get away from danger). Therefore, in the face of a real danger
we become alert and prepare ourselves against it. However, the physical sensations experienced in a panic attack are false alarms because there is no real danger. We misinterpret these
false alarms and think there is danger.
First Where, when and how the panic attack develops is an important detail. Therefore
it needs to be questioned in detail. Reasons such as loss of a loved one or the thought of losing someone close, separation, exacerbation of childhood losses, other stressful life events, difficulties in business life, and health problems can cause panic disorder.
In addition, hereditary predisposition and temperament characteristics also have a significant impact.
There is usually a significant relationship between the disaster scenarios that accompany the physical sensations experienced by people during a panic attack. For example, when they feel palpitations "I'm having a heart attack"
"I'm going to die" "my heart will stop", when they feel shortness of breath "I'm going to drown", when they feel numbness
"I'm paralyzed", when they feel weakness "I'm going to pass out", headache
When they feel it, thoughts such as "my blood pressure has increased" "I am having a brain hemorrhage" "I have a tumor in my brain" cross their minds. These types of thoughts arise from cognitive distortions made by people. In the cognitive distortion of exaggerating possible bad consequences, the person extremely exaggerates the possibility of a bad event occurring and sees it as indisputable. In catastrophizing, the person not only exaggerates the possible consequences, but also tends to exaggerate the consequences of the process after this possibility
has occurred. For example, "If I have a traffic accident and die, my children will be left without parents and will have to live in poverty." proven by studies. In cognitive behavioral
therapy, the person's avoidance
and safety-seeking behaviors to prevent panic attacks along with catastrophic thoughts are evaluated. Cognitive distortions and negative
automatic thoughts are worked on.
The most important thing to remember is that anxiety will always be present in every area of our
lives. However, dysfunctional anxiety and related anxiety disorders
should be treated.
Read: 0
