![]() People experiencing a panic attack may also experience ‘derealisation’ a sense that you or the world around you is not real.Fears that you are ‘losing control’ or ‘going mad’, dying, or choking.Chest pain / shortness of breath or feeling that there is not enough air.Increased heart rate / heart-pounding / palpitations.The “Fight-Flight” response is shorthand for: A cascade of physiological effects triggered by our Brain’s Threat System that happens automatically to prepare us to either escape from, or combat danger (eg, our breathing quickens, our heart rate speeds up, and we feel anxious or ‘pumped’, which enables us to run or combat danger). Panic Attacks are simply the body’s “Fight-Flight” response kicking into overdrive at inappropriate or unhelpful times. Panic attacks are usually a symptom of an anxiety disorder, but can also occur in depression, can be a side-effect of certain medications, or can occur due to substance use. Panic attacks can be cued (triggered by something specific), or can occur completely un-cued. ![]() Yet, many people present to Emergency Departments concerned that they are having heart problems, only to find they have simply had a panic attack and are given a recommendation to see a Psychologist. Panic attacks are very misunderstood – they are not medically dangerous or life threatening. We now know that up to 40 per cent of the population will experience a panic attack at some time in their life. ![]() Panic Attacks feel terrible – in one minute you can go from being completely calm to experiencing a complete surge in fear, discomfort, and other physical symptoms. Panic attacks are surprisingly common and can occur with stress, anxiety, depression, OCD, PTSD and all other disorders. Following this will be an outline of how you can learn to work with and overcome the unwanted mental and physical arousal that maintains the cycle. This will be contrasted with the criteria for a Panic Disorder. The specifics of Panic Attacks are addressed below. Once you are able to do this, you will be no longer pushed around by your mind’s interpretation of your body’s activity as being ‘dangerous’ and this will begin an upward spiral of confidence that will set you free again. This means that with some education about anxiety and your brain’s threat system, some skills around how to regulate your physiology, and some skills to help you to ‘unhook’ from unhelpful thoughts so that you can learn to better tolerate the physiological symptoms of arousal, anxiety and panic. They are well-understood and are common, particularly when people are under a lot of stress. When When this struggle gets in the way of a person being able to live their lives, this referred to as a Panic Disorder: The fear and disabling avoidance associated with trying to not have another panic attack.įortunately, panic attacks are not harmful in any way. However, for people who do not understand what a Panic Attack is, or for people who develop fears around the consequences of having further panic attacks, this often leads to a range of difficulties associated with avoidance – Avoidance in order to prevent another panic attack at all costs.Īlthough avoidance is understandable (it makes sense to want to avoid negative feelings!), unfortunately, this ultimately backfires because being ‘ anxious about having anxiety’ will only make you even more anxious. Panic attacks can also often happen when people who already have high anxiety or symptoms of panic then engage in unhelpful thoughts about what their physical symptoms might mean (i.e., this then causes ‘anxiety about anxiety’ which increases arousal and makes a panic attack more likely). This often can happen at completely inappropriate or inconvenient times (such as in social situations, while engaging in an activity, or even when trying to sleep). Yet, many people fear having another panic attack and paradoxically this makes it worse…Ī panic attack usually occurs in conjunction with high levels of distress or anxiety, such as when a person’s ‘fight/flight’ response (aka ‘threat system’) becomes triggered. Although panic attacks feel terrible (and for many people this causes an additional layer of distress), they are non-life threatening and do not cause any long term harm. ![]() Panic Attacks vs Panic Disorder: What is The Difference?Ī panic attack refers to an intense experience of fear while being flooded by a physiological cascade of related symptoms.
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