How To Identify Panic Attacks

Panic attacks are pretty hard to detect as it can be confused with anger management and stress and even other mental disorders. According to medical experts, the average person could experience at least one panic attack throughout their lifetime. These experiences can be rated from mild to severe with the severe cases altering someone physically, emotionally and socially for the rest of their lives. With science and technology plus a lot of research in this area, panic attack medications have improved a great deal over the years and have reduced if not eliminated the disorder from the sufferer.

Panic attacks are generally described as the body’s reaction to a stressful situation, or the triggering of the “fight or flight” mechanism. In most cases, the reaction triggers in the patient at the appropriate moments in times of high stress and for small number of them, this reaction develops randomly, at inappropriate moments and even at the slightest signs of stress and this is known as panic disorder. Educating yourself on the signs and symptoms can help you provide panic attack help to the patient or to yourself.

Panic attacks have been proven to appear surprisingly similar to a heart attack. To the untrained eye, panic attacks can seem like heart attacks or chest pains are even epilepsy. While to you, it may seem like there are no differences between panic attacks and heart attacks, any doctor will assure you that the two can be greatly distinguished. When it comes to panic attacks, there are several symptoms that are marked with a few common qualities or points to look out for. These very obvious symptoms include quickness of breathing, increased heart rate, increased body temperature and an overwhelming feeling of dread or fear (panic). Apart from the above mentioned, panic sufferers have also recorded symptoms have involve tightness in their chest, which usually leads them to believe they are having a heart attack. Your doctor will be able to distinguish and tell you that this is just another general panic attack symptom; a real heart attack has key symptoms that you are unlikely to ignore, as it is very noticeable.

When someone has a panic attack, they will also feel tingling sensations in one or both arms and/or the tips of the fingers, profuse sweating, minor delusions, unfounded fear towards random objects or events, lightheadedness, dizziness, nausea. These symptoms only occur on some panic sufferers and are quite less common symptoms related to panic attacks as these symptoms vary from person to person. Most chronic panic sufferers tend to have a unique set of symptoms that mark their panic attacks. Apart from experiencing any of the combination of symptoms explained above, there are also a few traits that are very recognizable to the untrained eye. For one, panic attacks are very limited in time. The body can only maintain this reaction for, at most, 15 minutes. With the symptoms explained above, a person who experiences both is advised to remember that the feelings will not last very long. After an attack, the feeling of anxiety often follows thereafter. This is also a common symptom as those who have experienced a panic attack tend to worry about attacks that will follow. With proper panic treatment with your medical physician, you will be able to avoid or lessen these symptoms in order for you to lead a more normal life.

Panic treatment can also be treated on your own or with a family member. Self help can be done to improve your symptoms by undergoing relaxation techniques, exercise or by talking to people in support groups. The key here is to channel all that negative energy and build up in your mind into something positive such as talking to people, going for your favorite yoga classes and even Pilates. Frequent counseling sessions are also part of the treatment for anxiety attack as talking through your problems with a counselor can help you focus on what you want and how to achieve it. Your counselor can help you set a target and work towards accomplishing this target so that your mind doesn’t stray. Counseling helps in short term panic attack help, so if you have these symptoms, visit your counselor or a medical professional who can refer you to a certified physician or counselor.