Index
The panic attacks are unmistakable.
You are involved in some aspect of daily life when suddenly your heart starts beating and hyperventilation, sweating, and trembling occur.
He is afraid that he will have a heart attack, go crazy, or even die. Then, 10 minutes or a little more or less later, it’s gone. What just happened? … He has had a panic attack.
Panic attacks are pretty standard, usually starting between 15 and 25 years.
According to the Institute, if you have recurrent panic attacks, a persistent fear generates subsequent attacks, or if your behavior changes significantly due to these attacks, you have a panic disorder, affecting almost 1 in 20 adults. National Mental Health.
With each attack, patients live with the fear of the next panic event.
What causes panic attacks?
The underlying cause of panic attacks and panic disorder is not apparent.
There is evidence of both a genetic cause and biochemistry. Some researchers believe that panic disorder can result from excessive sensitivity in the brain to carbon dioxide and the triggering of a “false alarm” of asphyxia in the brain, leading to hyperventilation and panic.
There is also an association between panic attacks and phobias, such as school phobia or agoraphobia, depression, alcohol abuse or cigarette smoking, risk of suicide, and seasonal affective disorder, a type of depression that occurs during the winter months.
symptom
Panic attacks involve sudden sensations of terror that strike without warning. These episodes can occur at any time, even during sleep.
People who experience a panic attack may believe that they have a heart attack and are dying or going crazy.
The fear and terror that a person experiences during a panic attack are not in proportion to the actual situation and may not be related to what is happening around them. Most people with panic attacks experience several of the following symptoms:
- Accelerated heart
- Feeling weak, weak, or dizzy
- Tingling or numbness in the hands and fingers
- The sensation of terror, or imminent death
- Sweaty chills
- Chest pains
- Respiratory difficulties
- The sense of loss of control
What are the treatments for panic attacks?
The cause of most panic attacks is not clear, so the treatment may be different for each person.
Medications are used to prevent and immediate relief of symptoms and are generally the main line of treatment. In addition, psychotherapy, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, relaxation, and meditation, are often used to help relax the body and relieve anxiety.
If you are in the middle of a panic attack, immediate relief of anxiety symptoms may come from taking a sedative-type anti-anxiety medication such as Xanax, Klonopin, and Ativan. These medications are provided at least at the start of medical therapy but are not for long-term use.