Panic Attacks Disorder

Having a panic attack can be scary. Even worse, not knowing the symptoms of a panic attack can be scarier. So, what I’m going to do is share with you the symptoms of panic attacks. That way, you will know what to do when you have an attack.

I’m going to breakdown the symptoms into three categories The categories are perceptual symptoms of a panic attack, physical symptoms of a panic attack, and mental symptoms of a panic attack.

Perceptual Symptoms of a Panic Attack

When you experience a panic attack, your perception becomes altered. Your perception of yourself and the world becomes drastically altered, which leaves you feeling like the time is slowing down and speeding up, you began having tunnel vision, and your senses become heightened.

Physical Symptoms of a Panic Attack

The physical symptoms are the most recognizable of all the symptoms of panic attacks. The physical symptoms are tightness in your chest and increase heart rate. The tightness in your chest could lead to heart palpitations, hyperventilation, dizziness, and headaches.

The tightness in your stomach could lead to nausea and stomach pains.

Mental Symptoms of a Panic Attack

People who have a panic attack usually experience severe mental symptoms. You will experience irrational thinking or having racing thoughts, which leaves you feeling like things around you aren’t real, feeling like you’re going insane, and feeling like something bad is going to happen to you.

These are the symptoms of a panic attack. If you notice that you are having these symptoms, you should to do something about it. Not doing anything about it will cause your attacks to get worse.



By: Tony Smith

About the Author:

(c) 2008 Sandy Adamson

Before we dive into learning the different types of panic attacks, it may be worthwhile to first clarify the difference between anxiety and panic. In our daily communications, people tend to use these two terms interchangeably without realising their difference. Sure, these two have lots of in common with respect to their symptoms, but panic attacks usually last only a short while, though more intense. As a contrast, anxiety strikes you more gradually, is less intense, but lasts longer.

Based on whether a panic attack connects to a triggering situation and how it connects to such situations, panic attacks are grouped into three types:

1. Unexpected Panic Attacks

This type of attack is often associated with panic disorder. It occurs spontaneously without any clear reasons, and irrespective of whether you are relaxing or working. This means that we can hardly relate the occurrence of a spontaneous attack to any specific situation or place. As you may have seen in the movies, people can be awakened from sleep with this type of attack.

2. Situationally-bound Panic Attacks

As its name suggests, this type of panic attack is triggered by a specific situation. For example, if you fear flying or public speaking, exposure to these situations will result in immediate panic attacks. This ‘cued’ attack is rarely experienced in panic disorder.

3. Situationally-predisposed Panic Attacks

This type of panic attack is similar to the above one in that it is also triggered by a specific situation. However, the difference is that the attacks only sometimes occur and may not always occur immediately after exposure to the feared situation. For example, if flying is your feared situation, there are times when you take a flight without having a panic attack. However, in some other times, you do not suffer panic attack until you finish your journey for some while. In other words, you are predisposed to having attacks while taking flights, but the attacks are not a sure response to the fear of flying. People with panic disorder may experience this type of attack.

As you may probably understand, some panic attacks are just phobias over a particular event or place, but others may be truly medical conditions which you should take seriously. It is reported that approximately 19 million people in the United States are panic attack sufferers and they experience a variety of symptoms during panic attacks. Many, however, do not take panic attacks seriously or believe they deserve treatment as a medical condition. It is true that many people who have experience of panic attacks never have further episodes or complications. However, you should keep in mind that chronic occurrence of panic attacks can be a sign of panic disorder, which deserve immediate medical help. Quite often, major disorders could prevent a sufferer from pursuing normal daily routines.

With different types of panic attacks and their different levels of complications, various ways of medical interventions are used. Those commonly used ways of treament include traditional medicine, behavorial therapy, and alternative medicines. In many other instances, however, people are able to live with their panic attacks or use self-help techniques to get out of the situations.



By: Sandy Adamson

About the Author:

billywhizz79 asked:

This is my video response to terrinzwrld who posted a video stating her top 10 worst symptoms of this disorder.