What Are The Physiological And Psychological Panic Attack Symptoms
Panic attack symptoms may be a sign of another anxiety disorder, typically panic disorder. According to the latest tally, these attacks account for at least 1.7% of American adult who experience full-blown symptoms, making it a serious health complain in the United States. At least 20 million are known to suffer from its symptoms at any point of their lives.
The symptoms of panic attack are strikingly different from other anxiety disorders. Symptoms are often unexpected and very sudden, typically unprovoked and very disabling. The peaking of symptoms is often very quick, around 10 minutes after the initial attack, but these often subside a few minutes to several hours after. In between attacks, patients usually experience a great sense of anxiety or dread in anticipation of the proceeding attack.
How Panic Attacks Develop
Panic attack symptoms usually lead to the development of the condition to the point in which it becomes a pattern. A person, out of the blue, may experience a great sense of fear or phobia towards an object or situation. Then starts the avoidance behavior that seems to keep the person from being in a similar situation that has first provoked the attack. Eventually, the fear and avoidance will form a pattern of behavior that aims to prevent the occurrence of another attack. Try as the person might to keep panic attacks from occurring, avoidance behavior only fortifies the vicious cycle that the condition creates.
Psychological and Physiological Symptoms Of Panic Attack
Panic attacks are fear-based – fear which is typically irrational. Often, the anxiety, and apprehension are also blow out of proportion. People who experience panic attacks are often aware that their fears are irrational and overblown, nevertheless there is nothing they can do about these as they are often overwhelmed by their fears. Aside from what have been mentioned, other psychological symptoms of panic attack include:
Derealization feelings of unreality Depersonalizartion or feeling of being detached from oneself Fear of dying Fear of going insane Blank mind Confusion Feeling the need to escape Sense that the time passes by very slowly
The psychological symptoms mentioned above are usually accompanied by a number of any of the following physiological symptoms:
Pounding or racing heart that is described as accelerated heart rate Chest pain or discomfort Upset stomach which may be described as abdominal cramping, nausea and abdominal distress Sweating Shaking or trembling Weakness Shortness of breath or sensations of being choked or smothered Tightness in the throat Feeling unsteady, dizzy, faint or lightheaded Paresthesias or tingling sensations Hot flashes or chills Headache
A panic attack doesn’t necessarily have to have a complete set of symptoms. For a person to be diagnosed with panic attack disorder, an episode should have at least several symptoms that are occurring simultaneously.
After each attack, the person may feel exhausted or worn out. It may take a few minutes before the person feels normal again. After all the panic attack symptoms settle down, a person with panic anxiety may begin feeling an intense fear about having another panic attack.
If the panic attack symptoms occur at least 3 times in a month, the condition becomes chronic anxiety disorder.
At this point, it is advisable that the person consult his physician to ensure that treatments be identified if the severity of the condition warrants it. Common treatments that have been shown to improve panic attack symptoms include exposure therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, medications and lifestyle modifications.
No matter how severe your panic attack symptoms may be, there are still options of treatments that are available to you. Seek the professional advice of your physician to know whether your symptoms warrant treatment.
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