What is Panic Attack: Symptoms, Casuses, Treatment & Prevention

 

What is a Panic Attack

A panic attack is a sudden episode of intense fear that triggers several physical reactions that there is no real danger or apparent cause.

 

 

What does a Panic Attack Feel like

• Panic attacks can be very frightening.
• When panic attacks occur, you might think you are losing control having a heart attack, or even dying.
• Many people have just one or two panic attacks in their lifetime, and problems go away, perhaps when the stressful situation ends.
• But if you have recurrent, unexpected panic attacks that span a long period in constant fear of another attack, you may have a condition called a panic attack.
• Major life stress, like death or serious illness of loved ones.
• An atomic event, such as sexual assault or serious accident.
• A major change in your life such as divorce or the addition of a baby smoking or excessive caffeine intake.

 

 

Symptoms

Panic attacks include some of these symptoms

• Sense of danger even if it is not
• Fear of loss of control or death
• Rapid heart rate
• Shaking
• Sweating
• Hot and cold flashes
• Shortness of breath or choking off your throat
• Chest pain
• Numbness
• Abdominal cramps
• Nausea
• The feeling of unreality or detachment
• Headache
• Dizziness, Lightheadedness, or faintness
• Feeling of terror

 

A panic attack can appear suddenly at any time when you’re driving a car, at a mall, at sound sleep, or in the middle of any situation or a business meeting. You may have occasional panic attacks or may occur frequently.

 

 

Who might have panic attacks?

Anyone can experience a panic attack

• Age panic attacks typically first occurred during the teen or early adult yours.
• But people of all ages can have panic attacks including children.
• Gender women are twice as likely as men to develop panic orders.

 

 

Causes of panic attacks

 

Nervous System

• The brain and nervous system play a key role in how you handle fear anxiety or any situation.
• Your risk of having panic attacks increase if you have that mechanism.

 

Family history

• Anxiety disorders, including panic disorder, often run in families.

 

Mental health issues

• People who are having an anxiety disorder, depression, or any mental illness or physical illness are more prone.

 

Substance abuse problem

• Alcohol and drug addiction can increase the risk of panic attacks.

 

 

How panic attacks are diagnosed ?

• Obsess about losing control during a panic attack
• Change your behavior to avoid situations that might trigger a panic attack
• Medical or mental health providers can diagnose panic attack disorder for stock your provider may diagnose panic disorder when you have repeated panic attacks and you constantly worry about having more panic attacks or their consequences

 

 

Treatment

 

Psychotherapy

• Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) is a type of psychotherapy, or talk therapy you discuss your thought and emotion with a mental health professional, such as a licensed counselor or psychologist.
• This specialist therapy can help to identify panic attack triggers and according to that, you can change your thinking, behaviors, and reactions.
• As you start to respond differently to treasure the attack decrease and ultimately stops.

 

Antidepressants

• Certain antidepressant medicines can take panic less frequently or less severe providers may prescribe certain medications such as tricyclic antidepressants, paroxetine, venlafaxine, and doxepin.

 

Anti-anxiety medications

• Benzodiazepines are the most commonly prescribed anti-anxiety medications to treat and prevent panic attacks.
• They help you with anxiety but have the risk of addiction or dependence.
• These medications include alprazolam and lorazepam.

 

 

How to stop a panic attack

Here are some of these ways that used to prevent panic attacks

 

Cognitive behavioral therapy CBT

• Seek counseling next time cognitive behavior therapy CBT and other types of counseling can often help people who have panic attacks and who have panic disorder.
• CBT aims to help you change the way you see challenging or frightening situations and to help you find new ways to approach these challenges as they arise.

In 2018 research found evidence that people who have attended four weekly sessions of exposed-based CBT experienced changes in neural pathways involved in panic symptoms. However, it was in early study and more research is indeed

• In 2018, There are 40 people in Korea attended a mindful-based program once a week for four weeks, to see if this treatment would help reduce symptoms of panic disorder.
• One aspect of treatment was to focus on heart rate, as some people experience cardiovascular symptoms during panic attacks
• The findings suggest that the participants could better manage their symptoms using their thought processes after treatment.

 

Use deep breathing

While hyperventilating is a symptom of panic attacks that can increase fear, deep breathing can reduce symptoms of panic during an attack.

In a study published in 2017, 40 people joined a therapy group that involved the breathing or control group.

After 20 intensive training sessions, they saw improvement in attention levels and emotional well-being.

 

The blood test also shows lower cholesterol levels in the Group. It is suggested that people having low cholesterol levels don't know what to do when they panic disorder occurs. but deep breathing can help you in improving feelings of relaxation, comfort, and alertness and reduce symptoms of anxiety, depression anger, and confusion.

 

Close your eyes

Some panic attacks come from triggers that overwhelm you.

During an attack close your eyes. That can block you from extra stimuli and make it easier to focus on your breathing.

 

Practice mindfulness

• Mindfulness can help ground you in the reality of what is around you.
• Since panic attacks can cause feelings of detachment or separation from reality mindfulness involves
• Focusing your attention on the present
• Recognizing the emotional state, you are in
• Meditating to reduce stress and help you relax

 

Use muscle relaxation techniques

• Progressive muscle exhalation aims to release tension.
• It aims to relax the whole body.
• Much like deep breathing, muscle interaction techniques can help stop your panic attack track by controlling your body response as much as possible.

 

Engage in light exercise

• Experts have found that exercise at 60 percent of your maximum heart rate for 20 minutes three times per week can help you reduce anxiety.
• If you are not using exercising, talk with your doctor before starting.

 

Repeat a mantra internally

• Repeating a mantra internally can be relaxing and reassuring and it will give you something to grab during a panic attack.
• It's OK to repeat it on loop in your head until you feel panic attacks start to subside.

 

Anxiety is normal, but highly subjective, human emotion while normal anxiety serves a beneficial and adaptive purpose, anxiety can also become the cause of tremendous suffering for millions of people.