Understanding and Overcoming Panic Attacks - What Cause Panic Attacks? How To Deal With A Panic Attack?

Understanding and Overcoming Panic Attacks - What Are Panic Attacks? 

More than often, all of us hear this word called "panic attack", nowadays for this generation, the gen z, it has become a slang word for normal anxiety and nervousness.
People use this word in their day to day lives without actually knowing its true meaning, how overwhelming it actually is for the people who face these and to what extent it can disturb their mental health. So, let's get a general idea about what exactly is a "panic attack".

Understanding and Overcoming Panic Attacks - What Cause Panic Attacks How To Deal With A Panic Attack

WHAT IS A PANIC ATTACK? WHAT CAUSES IT?

       A panic attack is a sudden and intense episode of extreme anxiety or fear based on perceived threat rather than imminent danger.

       You can experience a panic attack at any time and any place, whether you are on a shopping spree, watching a movie, in a meeting, or even when you are being intimate with your partner. 

       Most people may have had occasional panic attacks, once in a long while maybe but for some people it's a common recurrent occurrence, so much so that he/she spends long periods of time in fear of another attack.

Now if you or someone whom you know relates to this, you or they might have a condition called PANIC DISORDER. It is a condition characterized by recurrent panic attacks, often accompanied by a fear of future attacks. 

COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS

With different people telling different things to different people ( intentional use of different), rise of confusion and misconceptions about panic attacks are inevitable. One of the major misconceptions is that a "panic attack" is the same as an "anxiety attack". The two are similar, for sure, but they are not the same.

Some other misconceptions revolving around this particular topic are: -

• They are easy to control People experiencing panic attacks cannot simply "snap out of it" or control their symptoms through willpower alone. It's a physiological and psychological response.

• They always have an obvious trigger: Panic attacks can occur without an apparent reason or trigger. They are not always linked to a specific situation or stressor unlike an anxiety attack.

• It is not a serious condition: Panic disorder, characterized by recurrent panic attacks, can significantly impact a person's life. It's a legitimate mental health condition that may require treatment.

• Everyone experiences panic attacks the same way: Panic attacks can manifest differently in individuals. While some may have common symptoms like racing heart or sweating, others may experience less typical sensations or they may also have silent panic attack where a persons feels an impending sense of doom, disassociation (feeling like everything is unreal) and hopelessness.

• Medication is the only solution: While medication can be helpful, psychotherapy, particularly cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), is also effective in managing panic attacks.

Understanding and Overcoming Panic Attacks - What Cause Panic Attacks. How To Deal With A Panic Attack

So next time a person is having an episode in front of you try to refrain from telling them to just snap out of it, asking them how they could even get an attack when there were no triggers and above all, instead of telling them it's all in their head, tell them it's going to be okay and hold them through it all.

ANXIETY ATTACK V/S PANIC ATTACK 

(SIMILAR BUT NOT SAME)

While the definition of both the terms may almost be the same there are some key differences that separate the two.

• Anxiety attacks are a common symptom of various anxiety disorders, including panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and social anxiety disorder whereas recurrent panic attacks are a symptom of panic disorder.

• The onset and intensity of both vary. Panic attacks are sudden and escalate quickly. The intensity can be extreme. Anxiety attacks on the other hand escalate gradually, one can feel an anxiety attack coming and can take appropriate actions to prevent it such as  moving away from the trigger/ stressful situation. Although they can be distressing, they are not as intense as panic attacks.

• The duration also varies vastly. Panic attacks are short lived and rarely last for more than an hour. On the other hand, anxiety attacks can last longer depending on how long the stressor is present in the environment.

• It's a misconception that both of these attacks have the same symptoms. Panic attack symptoms include shortness of breath, intense sweating, impending sense of doom and hopelessness. A person may also experience derealization or depersonalization during the attack. The symptoms of anxiety attack are different, they include excessive worry, irritability, restlessness, tension in muscles etc.

(Now you know how to figure out which attack it actually is)

COMBATING PANIC ATTACKS

Very sure that many of you would have skipped the above paragraphs to actually get to the main part. Well good news, here it is, the most awaited topic - "How to deal with a panic attack". There are several ways to deal with this problem but here we are going to give you the most useful one's (Note- They actually work!) 

How to deal with a panic attack?

• The most basic, Deep breathing- Take slow deep breaths. No not the breath in breath out kind, a bit more structured version. We call it the triple four (444). Inhale for a count of four, hold for a count of four and exhale for a count of four. Repeat until your nervous system calms down.

Understanding and Overcoming Panic Attacks - What Cause Panic Attacks. How To Deal With A Panic Attack

• Next we have, the technique less used also known as the grounding technique or the 5-4-3-2-1 method. Focus on your surroundings and name 5 things you can see, 4 things you can touch, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell and 1 thing you can taste. This method helps to keep you from disassociating from the real world.

• Third best technique is PMR or progressive muscle relaxation. All you have to do is tense all your muscles and then relax each muscle group in your body. Starting from your toes and moving up to your head.

• Next up we have, using a coping statement. It's exactly what you think it is, simply create a reassuring phrase for yourself like "This will pass", "I'm strong, I can get through this" or "I am safe" and repeat it to yourself like a broken record.

• Avoiding stimulants such as caffeine, alcohol and drugs also helps.

• Don't hesitate to reach out to someone for support. It can be anyone, a family member, friend or a relative you trust or even a therapist for that matter.

• Lastly, if the intensity and recurrence of the attacks keeps gradually increasing it is advised to consult a Healthcare professional who may recommend medication. 

CONCLUSION

Congratulations, you've reached the end of this article. We hope this was helpful to you in some way or the other. Remember, mental health is just as important as physical health if not more and there is nothing to feel ashamed about it. If it's bothering you, resolve it. Stay healthy, stay safe!