The Most Frequently Asked Questions about Panic Attacks
What is a panic attack?
A panic attack is when you experience the “fight or flight” response when the situation is not appropriate for it. This is the body’s defense mechanism. When you are in danger this supplies you with adrenaline to either fight your assailant or run for your life.
If you are being chased by a large ferocious animal this response is completely normal and could even save your life. But if you feel reluctant or terrified to do every day activities it is likely that you are suffering from panic attacks.
Can Panic Attacks Physically Hurt You?
No, panic attacks will never physically hurt you. It may feel like all kinds of bad things can happen (lose conciousness, feeling dizzy/quesy), but an attack can only last for a few minutes because that is all the adrenaline the body can physically produce. The symptoms can last 30 minutes or more, but at their most intense they can’t last long.
What is the Difference between a Heart Attack and a Panic Attack?
The quick answer is the symptoms. Panic attacks symptoms like a rapid heart beat usually start about 30 minutes before the attack happens. Panic symptoms start out gradually and get more intense leading up to the attack while heart attacks are typically more sporadic.
The symptoms for a heart attack are usually only a few minutes before the attack, that is if you get any warning at all. A lot of people have thought that a panic attack was a heart attack, but no one has mistaken a real heart attack for a panic attack.
What causes panic attacks?
It is unknown exactly what causes people to start experiencing panic attacks, but they seem to begin:
· After a life altering or traumatic event (wedding, graduation, birth of a child, death of a relative, etc…)
· During times of immense stress and angst
· From chemical imbalances in the body, from diet or other substances.
· From all of the above
Do I have to take prescription drugs to stop having panic attacks?
No, you do not have to take medication if you are dead set against it. Medication can make your symptoms less frequent or strong, but only while you are on the medication. Pills can help you, but they won’t ever cure you of panic attacks.
Cognitive therapy techniques seem to be the only thing that can cure panic attacks forever. These techniques help you to not only understand what causes your symptoms, but more importantly how to change the behaviors and other factors that cause your anxiety.
Relaxation techniques can quickly and temporarily calm you down, but cognitive therapy is a proven way of retraining your brain to deal with stress and anxiety with an appropriate response, if any at all.
I feel like I’m losing my mind! Is this normal?
Absolutely! This is what most people feel like when they first start having panic attacks. It’s a small consolation, but you can rest easy that you are not alone.
I’m sure you are an intelligent individual that understands that you should not feel apprehensive or terrified if there is no immediate danger present. Since you can’t explain why you are having these feelings when no one else around you does its only natural to think that there must be something wrong with you. I can assure you that you are not losing your mind and there is nothing physically wrong with you.
My best suggestion to you is to learn as much about panic attacks as you can. By understanding why and how panic attacks occur you can gain a better understanding of your condition and how to rid yourself of it.
How can I stop a panic attack from coming?
As I mentioned earlier, cognitive therapy can help to retrain your thinking and your give you a more normal anxiety response (only get the fight or flight response when you are in real danger).
Until you have worked on the issues that really cause these attacks the best thing you can do is just wait them out. I know this may sound terrible, but the only way to take away the power of panic is to face it head on.
Consider the following points:
- Trying to fight or suppress your symptoms will only make them worse
- Avoiding situations that you believe may trigger an attack can eventually make you feel afraid to leave your own house
- An actual attack can only last a few minutes because your body cannot sustain these intense symptoms for long. Symptoms may slowly build for a half an hour or more, but the actual attack can only last a short while. Be brave and wait it out, you can do it!
I am afraid of things I was not afraid of before panic attacks? Why do I fear them now?
Your brain is complex and a very quick learner. If you have had an attack in a specific place your brain may learn to fear that place as a threat to your well being.
Let’s say you had an attack in a car. Your brain will send signals to your body telling you to be very afraid of that place from now on as it views the car as a threat. In reality it was never the cars fault at all, but you happened to be in a car at the time and that is all that your brain needs to know to make an assumption.
Do breathing techniques really work?
Yes, but not as well as some people may lead you to believe. At the on-set of an attack you will typically begin hyperventilating. Breathing techniques can definitely counter act this, but they will not form a reliable cure for panic attacks. On top of that, if your condition is severe you may be unable to control hyperventilation no matter how hard you try.
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