Panic attacks are episodes of sudden and overwhelming fear and apprehension. They usually begin and end abruptly and can last anywhere from fifteen seconds to fifteen minutes. The symptoms are so scary and intense that many people, especially first time sufferers, often mistake them for a heart attack and call for emergency services. In fact, most doctors and specialists attest that a panic attack is one of the most terrifying and uncomfortable things a person 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.
Recently, there has been a growing amount of evidence that shows people possessing passive characteristics and lacking in assertiveness are much more likely in developing panic disorders. It has been proven that young children growing up with caretakers or parents who possess cautious world views are at a higher risk of being afflicted.
As the affliction’s signs can mimic other disorders, it is crucial that you inform your doctor of all their signs. To nail down the diagnosis, specialists look for symptoms such as intense fear, sweating, blurred vision, chest discomfort, nausea, and abdominal pain among others.
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 methods, sometimes needed for anyone having problems in public or far from a doctor, are available too. Breathing in a paper sack is currently still the go to standard and involves the sufferer taking deep short breaths in a little lunch bag or plane vomit sack. The treatment is most effective at helping acute attacks and needs to be supervised by a family member, friend, or medical specialist since it is possible to reduce your blood oxygen levels significantly.
Over time, many patients who report suffering from overwhelming fear episodes will start having only two to three symptoms at one time. This phenomenon, called a limited symptom episode, is a lot less severe. Feeling tired with shaking legs or getting tunnel vision and heart palpitations, instead of experiencing a lot of simultaneous signs, are pretty common kinds of attacks.
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