The most talked about topic of 2020 is the coronavirus and pandemic process. Uncertainty prevailing during the coronavirus and quarantine process, not knowing when it will end, not having a full treatment yet, and uncertainty about who and how to meet causes intense panic and anxiety disorder in people.
What is Anxiety Disorder?
Anxiety disorder is a state of worry that we experience without a real reason. We also use the word anxiety as its Turkish equivalent. Among the public, instead of anxiety or worry; Words such as restlessness, anxiety, anxiety and distress are used.
They show characteristics such as being overly anxious, having tension that negatively affects daily life, always expecting the worst and being afraid of not being able to control life. Anxiety disorder is likely to occur throughout life, and anxiety sensitivity increases with age.
What is a panic attack?
It occurs in unexpected situations, something bad will happen at any moment. It is an anxiety disorder characterized by intense panic attacks that reach the highest level in a short time. During attacks, intense fear, anxiety and distress are experienced. Panic attacks occur very suddenly, reach the highest level in about 10 minutes, and continue for about 20-30 minutes.
What are the Symptoms of Panic Disorder and Anxiety Disorder?
People with anxiety disorders are generally known to be anxious, they know that their anxiety is excessive, they are disturbed by it, but they cannot control it. They have sleep problems and may even worry about not being able to fall asleep at night. The general anxious state makes them feel tired and sluggish. They are extremely angry, unhappy and cannot tolerate negativity.
They may also have physical complaints such as shortness of breath, feeling of tightness in the chest, muscle aches, nausea and hot flushes.
A panic attack occurs approximately 13 days after the attack occurs. There are 1 symptom. To be diagnosed with a panic attack, you must be experiencing 4 of the symptoms listed below.
Palpitation. chest tightness >Fear of death Dizziness
Nausea
Recommendations for Those Experiencing Panic and Anxiety Disorder During the Coronavirus Process
1. Every person has different emotional and spiritual resilience, some people are more anxious, more sensitive and more fragile. People with this structure are more aware of coronavirus news. should follow less. One should only follow reliable sources regarding the pandemic process and be careful about false information spread on social media.
2. In this period of staying at home and decreasing daily routines, new routines should be created. Social relationships should be continued, even online, and new and healthy pleasures should be acquired.
3. In panic and anxiety disorders, uncontrollable emotions and thoughts tire the person. Trying to control thoughts is a common mistake. Trying not to think in order to cope with negative thoughts such as "what if I get sick", "what if I lose my mind", "what if my family gets infected with the virus", which constantly repeats in the mind, is one of the wrong behaviors. It is important to know that a thought is just a thought.
4. When you experience intense palpitations and shortness of breath during a panic attack, you feel like you are having a heart attack, but it should not be forgotten that a panic attack is not a heart disease.
5. During panic attacks and anxiety, catastrophic thoughts such as "going to lose one's mind" come to mind, and the person is afraid of going crazy. However, these disorders are not disorders of losing one's mind or going crazy. It is the disorder of fear of losing your mind!! And the two situations are very different from each other!!
6. During panic attacks and anxiety, intense symptoms are experienced in the body (as mentioned above). These symptoms increase as they focus on the body. Although sometimes experts recommend that you escape from this situation and focus your attention elsewhere, this method of escaping does not solve the problem, on the contrary, it causes the problem to grow even more. So, we can give an example like this: Saying "I shouldn't think about a panic attack, I shouldn't think of a panic attack" causes panic attacks to come to mind more.
7. Panic attacks and anxiety disorders can be a disorder that you will have difficulty overcoming on your own without expert support. . If you are experiencing these disorders for the first time during the pandemic or if you have experienced them before and they were triggered during the pandemic, it would be beneficial to get support from a specialist.
Since meeting face to face is risky, especially during the pandemic period, online psychotherapy is applied.
Generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, social phobia, etc. In anxiety disorders, work should be done step by step with the help and plan of a therapist. Unfortunately, the tactics used to cope with the disease without a therapist's plan and help, such as escape, avoidance behaviors, constantly focusing on the body, and trying not to think, can lead to increased anxiety.
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