Panic Attack
Panic Attack is an episode of severe physical symptoms that seem to appear unexpectedly and the individual is experiencing intense feelings of fear and anxiety accompanied by thoughts that something really serious is happening to him/her, he/she is dying or going crazy. Our body reacts to real danger by going through a series of changes known as the Fight or Flight response which helps us protect ourselves by running away or fighting.
Usually the physical symptoms include a combination of the above:
Palpitation or heart pounding- Sweating
- Mild or severe tremor
- Shortness of breath or heavy feeling on the chest
- Feeling of choking or suffocation
- Chest pain or discomfort
- Nausea, stomach distress or gastric discomfort
- Dizziness, lightheadedness or feeling faint
- Sense of unreality or alienation from self
- Numbness or tingling
- Chills or hot flushes
- Fear of losing control or going crazy
- Fear of dying
Often, people who experience unexpected panic attacks tend to avoid stressful situations, so they do not exceed their stress but on the contrary this avoidance helps to increase the anxiety they are experiencing each time even more.
The situations in which panic attacks take place may vary depending on the age and the activity area of each individual (eg a fearful situation may be a birthday party or the classroom in childhood, exams in puberty, professional meeting in adulthood). Furthermore, panic attacks may be activated by physical sensations such as rapid heartbeat or sweating which tend to be misinterpreted as evidence of physical illness.