What you experienced at that moment is known as a panic attack, a frightening condition in which your system goes on high alert for no apparent reason, bringing about an unreasonable sense of danger or fear. Panic attacks are a psychological disorder that medical professionals feel is triggered by your latent fight or flight reaction. The typical panic attack occurs and peaks within minutes, then abates, causing extreme fatigue in the person who experiences it.
Some people have just one or two such attacks in their life. With others, panic attacks can be a recurring issue, a debilitating condition that can have a profound impact on the ability to live a normal life. In that case, where you’ve had several and fear another attack, you have what is known as panic disorder.
The Perelman School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania estimates that 1.7 percent of Americans will have a panic disorder at some point. Most often the attacks arrive before age 24, particularly if the affected person has had a recent traumatic experience.
No one knows what causes this disorder, which strikes women twice as much as men. But researchers believe it runs in families and thus has a genetic component. The disorder can continue for years, in some cases with long gaps between attacks, causing significant problems with family, social relationships and employment. Major stress is also a trigger, as is a depressive outlook. In some cases, it may be a sign of a physical change in the brain.
Symptoms of a Panic Attack
Panic attack symptoms typically cause a sense of impending doom or extreme fear, a rapid, pounding heart rate, a loss of control, an extreme fear of imminent death, trembling or shaking, sweating, chills, hot flashes, shortness of breath, and tightness in the throat. It may also include nausea, chest pains, abdominal cramps, headaches, fainting, a detached, floating feeling, or dizziness.
Panic attacks are uncomfortable and frightening, but they are not particularly dangerous unless they compromise the ability to operate a car or other vehicle while operating it. But it is wise to seek medical attention if they occur. They may multiply or get worse, particularly if there has been a lot of stress and tension in your life from a family member’s illness or death, the loss of a job, arrival of a newborn baby, or a traumatic event, such as a sexual assault or bad accident.
If a panic attack happens, there are five steps you can practice to get through it. They are known by the acronym AWARE, which stands for acknowledge and accept; wait and watch; actions; repeat; end.
Here are the five coping steps in detail:
1) Acknowledge – Tell yourself that you are having a panic attack and accept that you are starting to panic. By acknowledging your fear, you will be able to tell yourself that you are not in danger.
2) Accept – This is a step not to fight the feeling. Going with it will help you overcome feelings.
3) Wait – This is all about not reacting too quickly to the condition. By not fleeing the scene or fighting the attack, you regain a bit of control over the situation, which is the root of your struggle. You have options in any situation.
4) Watch – Observe your reactions. If you can, do some deep breathing and note your conditions in a diary. By focusing outside your situation, you gain perspective and perhaps a bit of understanding.
5) Get comfortable – You know the panic attack will end. It’s your job to regain control. Perhaps give yourself a quick talk about how things will be all right in just a bit.
Getting Help for Panic Attacks
Without treatment, a significant decline in quality of life may occur. The panic attack disorder sufferer may start to develop phobias about driving or leaving the home, avoid social situations, suffer depression or have suicidal thoughts, develop problems at school or work, self-medicate with alcohol or drugs, and experience financial problems related to the inability to function normally. Many panic disorders develop agoraphobia.
This term, which in Greek means “fear of the marketplace,” may lead to a fear of large, open spaces, crowds and public transportation like airplanes, subways and buses. In the most severe instance, agoraphobics fear leaving the house, believing that a world of terrible things awaits outside the front door, things that they cannot control.
As with most disorders, the first step in treatment is a visit to a primary care physician. Once diagnosed with a panic attack or panic disorder, the physician can provide a referral to a competent psychiatrist or psychologist who can help treat mental illness.
Be prepared to discuss symptoms and the circumstances surrounding their onset, as well as past trauma that may have triggered it and potentially could affect future mental health. The doctor will give a physical examination to make sure there is not underlying physical condition causing the problem. Although talking about past sexual abuse or trauma such as accidents may be difficult, it is important to provide that information so that a medical professional may diagnose it and come up with an acceptable treatment plan.
Know that others have experienced what you’re going through. Many people have overcome the attacks or disorders and gone on to lead productive lives. A competent therapist will help guide you through the attacks and provide coping mechanisms that should allow you to move forward with confidence.