Panic Attack in the Air

As both a cabin crew member and a psychologist, I have often encountered and intervened in passengers having panic attacks on the plane. While a panic attack is a situation that develops uncontrollably and causes serious distress to the person, experiencing it in the air seriously increases fear. What is panic attack, a disorder that can be encountered not only by passengers but also by cabin crew and may even cause a flight attendant to resign?

Panic attack is intense anxiety and fear that occurs suddenly, is unpredictable, and can recur.

What are the symptoms of a panic attack?

• Chest pain or feeling of tightness in the chest

• Palpitation

• Increase in blood pressure

• Shortness of breath or feeling like you are choking

• Feeling like you can't breathe despite taking deep breaths

• Colds, shivering or hot flushes

• Dizziness, feeling like you're going to faint

• Sweating

• Numbness or tingling

• Fear of death

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• Fear of losing control

• Nausea

 

As panic attacks that a person experiences cause intense anxiety and fear, and have physical reflections that cause serious discomfort to the person, the person is constantly on guard with the worry of experiencing it again. He pays more attention to his physical sensations. Since it is a situation that develops uncontrollably, he may end up in the hospital at the slightest physical sensation. Due to this fear, the person's quality of life may decrease and behavioral changes may occur.

Panic attack is a disorder that should definitely be treated and should not be postponed. First, recognize the symptoms and remember that you are not the only one experiencing this. Stay away from coffee, tea, green tea and chocolate. Do breathing exercises. Include exercise and daily walks in your life. During a panic attack, the heart rhythm rises above the normal level and this creates a feeling of serious discomfort, so regular exercise helps reduce your physical sensation.

What if you experience a panic attack in the air? What should you do?

• Priority Now you know the symptoms, you are not the only one experiencing this.

• During a panic attack, you start breathing rapidly, and as you feel that you cannot breathe, you breathe more deeply and frequently. Control your breathing and slow down your breathing rate.

• The balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide in your body is disrupted, so you may feel numbness and tingling in your hands, arms or feet. This will cause your fear to increase even more, but now you know why.

• Director your attention to other things. If you are a passenger, report the situation to the cabin crew and they will take the necessary intervention and implement the necessary procedures. In addition, chat with the cabin crew, walk, move. If you are the cabin crew, talk to your teammates and share the situation you are experiencing, loosen your scarf, wash your hands and face and focus on different things. Do not increase your anxiety by constantly looking at the clock and trying to calculate the plane's landing time. Remember that your heart rhythm will reach the highest level in the first 10 minutes, but it will decrease as the minutes pass and will pass on its own.

• Plenty of water, as the air is dry on the plane and you breathe rapidly during a panic attack. Consume it, it will also be beneficial for your rising blood pressure.

             The majority of passengers with a history of panic attacks introduce themselves to the cabin crew as soon as they step on the plane. In this case, I was following the following approach: I was introducing myself by asking his name, where he lived, and at the same time, I was telling him that I was a psychologist and all my cabin crew members were first aiders, and that he could come to the back or front of the plane and visit us after the plane took off, and call us at any time. Watching such a warm approach causes serious relief in the person.

 

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