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Despite popular belief, panic attack episodes are surprisingly common. The annual rates for this condition stand at eleven out of every hundred American adults. Also, according to National Institute of Mental Health reports, roughly 5% of Americans will have a panic disorder. You might have a panic disorder if you have had two or more panic attacks.
People often get a panic disorder if they worry too much about panic attacks and change their behavior to avoid having one.
A panic attack is a response to fear. It’s an exaggerated version of how your body reacts to stressful situations. The condition is common after a tough time or a traumatic event.
Don’t confuse a panic attack with social anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder, which can seem similar but usually come with constant worry.
It could be a panic attack if you suddenly feel terrified and show at least four of the following physical, mental, or behavioral signs:
A panic episode often starts quickly and without warning, which can be scary. As soon as a panic attack begins, it’s difficult to stop, and one can easily mistake it for having a heart attack (or a stroke).
As a result, people having panic attacks often end up in the emergency room of a hospital. Although a panic attack’s mental and physical symptoms vary widely, they usually go away within 30 minutes.
According to UNICEF, it is not always apparent what causes panic attacks. Nonetheless, the following are some examples of events that cause an attack:
When the brain senses a threat to life, it sends signals to the autonomic nervous system for a flight-or-fight, i.e., to get the body ready to fight or run away. During a flight-or-fight state, adrenaline is just one of many chemicals that flood the body. It can cause a rise in heart rate, breathing rate, and blood flow. These physical changes help the body prepare for hard physical work, like fighting or running away.
However, the “flight-or-fight” reaction can occur in some people, even without an imminent threat. A panic attack can occur during stress-free hobbies like playing video games, watching TV, or walking into a crowded room.
Some of the things that can make the body unnecessarily start the “flight-or-fight” response are:
Not only are panic episodes mentally and physically draining, but they are also often difficult to control. The following are some ideas that might help you deal with panic attacks:
Understanding an issue from top to bottom is one of the best ways to overcome it. When you learn more about mental health and become more self-aware, you may learn to control your mind and emotions better. Knowing what causes your panic attacks and how they manifest themselves can make it easier for you to calm down or talk yourself through them.
Once you know what causes your panic episodes, it is also vital to know when to leave the triggering environment. For most people, discomfiting visuals and noises often make panic attacks worse. Leave the stressful area if you can, and look for a quieter place to sit or lean against a nearby wall.
If you can locate a more peaceful room, please do so. Focusing on breathing and other ways to deal with worry will be easier if you sit in a quiet place.
There are several grounding strategies. A grounding technique is any activity that can help you get your mind back on the present when your fears are getting the best of you.
Many people with a history of panic attacks find the “5-4-3-2-1” grounding technique quite beneficial. This mind-calming strategy uses all five senses to draw your attention back to the present moment. The aim is to convince your mind that you are not in danger. It involves looking around you to find and name:
When you’re about to have a full-blown panic attack, consciously breathing deeply and slowly may help. See to it that your breathing is regular and that you, and only you, are in charge of it. Since panic attacks can sometimes cause hyperventilation, it is often hard to focus on your breathing. Still, it can be beneficial if you can do it.
You can calm yourself down during a panic attack by focusing on something else, like counting out loud in random order. It works because counting requires focus. You may avoid a panic attack by counting backward from nine to one or subtracting 5s or 2s from two hundred.
Research published in the Int. J. Neurosci (International Journal of Neuroscience) highlights that massaging your scalp may raise dopamine and serotonin by 31% and 28%, respectively, but reduce cortisol levels by as much as 31%. Dopamine and serotonin are feel-good chemicals that contribute to a cheerful mood. On the other hand, cortisol is a stress hormone that the adrenal glands produce.
Try massaging your scalp with a few drops of lavender essential oil to help you feel even calmer. Researchers at Japan’s Osaka Kyoiku University found that lavender oil helps people pay attention and calms them down.
CBT and DBT are two of the most common evidence-based therapies. They help people with mental illnesses recognize and change their negative thought patterns. CBT and DBT can also help treat panic attacks and panic disorders.
While learning how to manage panic attacks is possible, they can get out of control. Get help from a professional if your excessive fear or panic attacks keep you from living your everyday life. A visit to your medical doctor for a checkup is an excellent place to begin.
A medical doctor can help rule out more serious conditions. For example, conditions like hypothyroidism, social phobia, asthma, epilepsy, or low blood sugar can trigger panic-attack-like symptoms. Once a medical professional has ruled out physical causes, the next logical step should be psychiatric consultation. Listed below are some helpful resources:
