A panic attack is an episode of overwhelming and sudden apprehension and fear. Usually it abruptly ends and begins and lasts anywhere from twenty seconds to twenty minutes. Its symptoms are so intense and scary that a lot of people, especially those suffering from them for the first time, often mistake them for heart attacks and call emergency services. Most specialists and doctors, in fact, attest that panic attacks are one of the most uncomfortable and terrifying things people can experience.
Sufferers of the attacks occasionally report feeling numb, confused, fatigued, and a sense of death during them. Most experience rapid breathing and tunnel vision, thanks to the increased blood going to their brains. And due to huge amounts of the hormones that cause 'flight or flight' responses getting released, the sufferer might feel a strong urge to run or escape from their current area as well.
The episodes can be caused by a number of both biological and genetic factors. Panic disorders have been known to run in certain families, so having a parent or grandparent with the ailment will likely mean that you'll inherit one as well. Biological causes can include illnesses such as bipolar disorders, Wilson's disease, mitral valve prolapses, and obsession compulsive disorders.
There has been growing evidence recently showing that people who lack general assertiveness and posses overall passive characteristics are more likely to develop panic attack disorders. It has also been proven that children who grow up with parents or caretakers with overly cautious views of the world are at higher risks of being afflicted.
Since the symptoms of the disorder mimic other ailments it's very important that a patient informs their physician of all of their symptoms. In order to cement a diagnosis, doctors will look for things like sweating, chest pain, abdominal distress, dizziness, blurry vision and intense panic among other things.
A patient with panic disorders can be treated effectively with the right lifestyle changes and medication. Most doctors all agree that prescription drugs along with cognitive behavior therapy is the best method of treatment. Behavioral therapies have to do with informing the sufferers why they experience attacks. Often, this bit of information alone is enough to at least lessen the effect of episodes in the future.
Short term treatments, sometimes necessary for people experiencing problems in public or far away from a hospital, are available as well. Breathing into a paper bag is still the old standard and involves the patient taking deep long breaths into a small lunch sack or airplane vomit bag. The method is most effective at ameliorating minor attacks and should be supervised by a parent, friend, or nurse as it is possible to lower your blood oxygen levels.
Eventually, many people who report suffering from intense fear disorders will begin experiencing only one or two symptoms at a time. This phenomenon, dubbed a limited symptom attack, are much less comprehensive. Feeling faint with shaky legs or experiencing tunnel vision and sweating, as opposed to having numerous simultaneous symptoms, are fairly common types of attacks.
Suffering from panic attacks? Steve Pavilanis can show you how to stop a panic attack naturally and effectively. A former anxiety patient himself, he now shares natural anxiety relief tips through is popular book and website.
