Anxiety Attack, Panic Attack, Panic Disorders
Anxiety Attacks or Panic Attacks as they are called in mental health professions are periods of great distress that last for relatively brief amounts of time. Perhaps as many as 2 people out of 100 have experienced symptoms of anxiety attacks that warrant a diagnosis of panic disorder. Anecdotal reports include feelings of death, going crazy, of some unknown impending doom. It can be an overpowering experience and may or may not be triggered by particular situations. Many anxiety attacks progress seem to appear out of nowhere and individuals are not able to pin point a particular reason for why they became panicky. For individuals who are unaware of what is happening to them, they can be filled with a debilitating level of stress and anxiety. They may become quite agitated, call 911, or tell family members that they are going to die. They may want to run out a room, go to the hospital, and invariably, they may be inconsolable until the attack passes.
Symptoms of Anxiety Attack
Signs of a panic attack are easy to recognize and if you have ever had one, it is something you are not likely to forget. If you have witnessed another person having one, it is similarly unforgetable. Anxiety attacks involve some of the following symptoms (DSM IV-TR):
- heart palpitations, a racing heart that is uncomfortable to the point where people feel they are having a heart attack
- breaking out into a sweat, a response to fear and anxiety
- feeling like you can't breath or are being suffocated
- choking sensations
- chest pains to a point where individual believe they are truly having a heart attack and not a panic attack
- nausea which sometimes can lead to vomiting, especially in children
- dizziness, feeling faint
- feeling like something unreal is happening, feeling detached from the world or in a haze
- belief that you are going crazy or about to lose total control over your senses
- fear of death
- tingling sensations over your body
Signs of Panic Disorder
Anxiety attacks can occur in isolated incidents by themselves or in relation to other mental disorders. Depending upon how many, how frequent, and the intensity and duration of a panic attack, your therapist may diagnose you with Panic Disorder. You need more than one anxiety attack to meet the criteria for this diagnosis and it is likely that your therapist will take into consideration other relevant factors such as your family history of anxiety. Knowing that one is susceptible to anxiety attacks can lead to a vicious cycle of anxiety, panic, recovery, and then more anxiety. Individuals begin dreading the next attack and that fear can itself become a trigger in more panic attacks. You can see that anxiety can create a disturbing cycle that can be difficult to break without treatment. Sometimes knowing that you do have a panic disorder can help in alleviating some of your anxiety symptoms as it can be comforting know a firm diagnosis. And we know that panic disorder is treatable.