Panic attacks: Causes and Symptoms
What is a Panic attack
A panic attack is a mental state with physical symptoms. It causes an episode of anxiety and fear with intense physical reactions. It is especially frightening, because it occurs suddenly, in situations where most people do not expect to feel irritated or afraid. The speed with which it appears, their symptoms and intensity, as well as the fact that many parts of the body are affected, make the feeling of fear and helplessness greater.
When someone experiences it feels as if he dyes or has had a heart attack. It is not life-threatening, but it can affect the quality of one’s life.
If we want to understand a panic attack, we need to understand the reason why there is fear. Fear is an automatic reaction to danger. The person needs to respond immediately to survive. A panic attack is a false alarm!
Causes
Causes for panic attack are considered to be intense anxiety, a change (such as the arrival of a child, the loss of a loved one or divorce), abuse in childhood (physical, verbal or sexual), the existence of other members in the family with a panic attack history.
It is often caused by a specific situation like crossing a bridge or giving a public speech (especially if this situation has caused a crisis before). Usually, the situation that causes a panic attack is the situation in which the person feels threatened and unable to escape.
It can occur as part of another disorder such as depression, social phobia, or panic disorder.
Also, the cause of a panic attack may be a medical problem, such as mitral valve prolapse in the heart, hyperthyroidism, hypoglycemia, stimulants (cocaine, caffeine), side effects of drugs.
Symptoms
- Shortness of breath
- Feeling of choking
- Tightness of pressure or pain in the chest
- Trembling, intense terror and weakness
- Sweaty palms and excessive sweating
- Tingling or numbness in the hands and feet
- A feeling of strong pulses, tachycardia
- A feeling of tendency to fainting or instability and lightheadedness
- Nausea, scramble, stomach intestinal discomfort
- Feeling cold or hot
These symptoms usually accompany excruciating thoughts such as:
- I will go crazy
- I will lose control
- I will faint
- I will collapse
- I will have a heart attack
- I will get a stroke
- I will start screaming and ridicule myself
You can also read: Panic Attacks: How to deal with them
Panic Attacks: Useful Information
Regardless of the cause, any panic attack is always treatable!
If you are suffering from panic attacks and want to get rid of it, contact us
Kiriaki Tzoganaki
Holistic Beautician, Energy Physiotherapist, Life Mentor
