Recognizing the Signs of a Panic Attack
To know the signs of a panic attack you have to listen to some of the stories of sufferers on whom an attack came as a sudden shock and caught them unawares.
Read on to know more about such people.
Samantha was watching a football match on television after a tiring day at work.
Suddenly she felt a very strong and peculiar feeling as if there was nothing in her head.
A suffocating sensation, as if the air she was breathing had no oxygen engulfed her.
Soon her heart was pounding at super fast speed.
All these experiences were so sudden and severe that she panicked thinking she is going to die of a heart attack.
Saying that she was feeling panicky would have been an understatement.
This feeling was something she had never experienced before.
She was feeling sweaty, shaky and unsteady.
The whole experience was at its peak within just 60 seconds but it changed her life forever.
This is just one example of what are the signs of a panic attack.
It may differ from person to person depending on what triggers a person into such an attack and his/her reactions to it.
The intensity and the time duration can also vary a lot.
A panic attack is the first symptom of some underlying Panic Anxiety Disorder.
Panic Anxiety Disorder is a medical disorder which is characterized by sudden and severe episodes.
One very important thing to mention here is that these sudden episodes of the symptoms mentioned above can also be caused by other reasons apart from panic attacks.
It can be due to certain medical disorders that mimic a panic attack, or it can be the reaction to a life threatening experience or the death of a loved one just immediately preceding the attack.
But if there are no such causes and no logical and rational reason for such panic then there is a possibility of a Panic Disorder.
As a general rule, a panic attack can reach its maximum intensity in a couple of minutes after they begin.
They can be expected to diminish gradually over the next half an hour or the symptoms may even last for several hours.
In most of the cases the first attack leads the sufferer to go to some emergency medical facility.
There may or may not be several subsequent attacks in the same month and they can be as severe as the first attack.
A very interesting thing to note here is that three out of every four sufferers are women.
Panic Anxiety Disorder sets in between 20-30 years for most people, though it can also vary.
Elder people are not that prone to such disorders.
The most common signs of a panic attack include a raging heartbeat, nervousness, shaky feeling, stress, difficulty in breathing and feeling a lack of enough oxygen.
There is a sudden terror that is nearly paralyzing and a tingling sensation in fingers and toes.
There is dizziness and a feeling of dread with nausea, a choking feeling, chest pains, hot flashes or sudden chills.
You experience a crazy feeling that you are going mad or about to die.
If you have felt such feelings in the past, then it is time to take advice from a professional.
Read on to know more about such people.
Samantha was watching a football match on television after a tiring day at work.
Suddenly she felt a very strong and peculiar feeling as if there was nothing in her head.
A suffocating sensation, as if the air she was breathing had no oxygen engulfed her.
Soon her heart was pounding at super fast speed.
All these experiences were so sudden and severe that she panicked thinking she is going to die of a heart attack.
Saying that she was feeling panicky would have been an understatement.
This feeling was something she had never experienced before.
She was feeling sweaty, shaky and unsteady.
The whole experience was at its peak within just 60 seconds but it changed her life forever.
This is just one example of what are the signs of a panic attack.
It may differ from person to person depending on what triggers a person into such an attack and his/her reactions to it.
The intensity and the time duration can also vary a lot.
A panic attack is the first symptom of some underlying Panic Anxiety Disorder.
Panic Anxiety Disorder is a medical disorder which is characterized by sudden and severe episodes.
One very important thing to mention here is that these sudden episodes of the symptoms mentioned above can also be caused by other reasons apart from panic attacks.
It can be due to certain medical disorders that mimic a panic attack, or it can be the reaction to a life threatening experience or the death of a loved one just immediately preceding the attack.
But if there are no such causes and no logical and rational reason for such panic then there is a possibility of a Panic Disorder.
As a general rule, a panic attack can reach its maximum intensity in a couple of minutes after they begin.
They can be expected to diminish gradually over the next half an hour or the symptoms may even last for several hours.
In most of the cases the first attack leads the sufferer to go to some emergency medical facility.
There may or may not be several subsequent attacks in the same month and they can be as severe as the first attack.
A very interesting thing to note here is that three out of every four sufferers are women.
Panic Anxiety Disorder sets in between 20-30 years for most people, though it can also vary.
Elder people are not that prone to such disorders.
The most common signs of a panic attack include a raging heartbeat, nervousness, shaky feeling, stress, difficulty in breathing and feeling a lack of enough oxygen.
There is a sudden terror that is nearly paralyzing and a tingling sensation in fingers and toes.
There is dizziness and a feeling of dread with nausea, a choking feeling, chest pains, hot flashes or sudden chills.
You experience a crazy feeling that you are going mad or about to die.
If you have felt such feelings in the past, then it is time to take advice from a professional.
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