How does a fear that is so effective that they are worried about its repetition make people feel? Severe chest pain, palpitations, tremors or sweating… Maybe all at once! A panic attack is an attack of intense distress or fear that every person is likely to experience at least once in their life.
The main difference that distinguishes panic attack from other severe fears is that there is no concrete and threatening danger to existence. However, the feeling of “losing control” and high-intensity body reactions accompanying the panic attack cause the person to compare the panic attack with the feeling of death. These symptoms can appear in many different ways. In addition to chest and heart pain, difficulty in breathing, numbness in the hands and body, cramps, vomiting, etc.
At least 4 physical symptoms must be present for the diagnosis of Panic Attack to be made. Situations with less than four symptoms are defined as “Partial Panic Attack”.
Panic Attacks are distributed in three different ways on the timeline. In the first minute, the person feels intense pressure and the seizure begins. In the second phase, the intensity of body reactions reaches the highest levels for an average of 10 minutes. In the third stage, body symptoms gradually decrease within about 30 minutes. Attacks can rarely last close to an hour. Since the majority of applications to the emergency department are likely to be seen in the third stage, the person enters the relaxation phase and medical intervention is not performed. In cases where intervention is required, a sedative injection is given.
Although it is possible for everyone to experience a panic attack once in their life, experiencing a panic attack once does not guarantee that the second attack will come, or that the attacks will continue. On the other hand, it can be said that the evolution of panic attack into panic disorder occurs in the dimension of thought. When the tension created by the first panic attack is combined with the anxiety that the second attack will come, it can create sadness. Because similar symptoms that give the same feeling as crisis moments such as high heartbeat can make the person believe that situations such as going crazy or having a stroke will happen. However, as stated, there is no situation that endanger the life of the person in panic disorder. Anxiety and false thoughts that become ossified push the person to take precautions against places and events that remind them of the feelings they had in the past. Although the effort to take precautions starts with the idea of calming the person, it may cause the body to carry substances that it does not need (alcohol, various drugs, etc.). Thus, behavior is improved and panic disorder occurs.
An example of this situation is constantly going to the emergency room or doctor. When the negative results predicted by the client in the tests and examinations are not obtained, the clients may be inclined to refer to other doctors by claiming that they still feel bad. Sometimes misdiagnosed, the patient is tried to be treated with different drugs, from antibiotics to breath fresheners, palpitations, blood pressure and heart medicine and vitamins, but no results can be obtained. This situation may cause temporal and financial losses in the long run.
In order for a diagnosis of panic disorder to be made, the person must constantly complain of the above symptoms for at least 1 month. In the treatment of panic disorder, false information and thoughts about panic attacks are shared and corrected, and methods of coping with attack symptoms are focused on. Today, positive results can be obtained with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Moreover, if the person needs it, drug treatment is taken together with psychotherapy, provided that it is under the supervision of a psychiatrist. Clients overcome their fears by gradually exposing themselves to situations that worry them later on.
Specialist Clinical Psychologist Damla Kankaya
Posted by Rafet Uner, Psychology Student
