As a human being, it is a natural tendency to be afraid at times. This is considered to be normal response in relation to a certain stimulus a person has experienced for the moment. We get scared due to many sorts of reasons, but there are also certain instances when the amount of fear being felt by a certain individual is so overwhelming that it makes him/her in utter distress. And in these situations, we usually described the person suffering from this as having a panic attack. In this article, we will try to dig deep into the panic attack period and we will discuss the panic attack symptoms a person will usually go through under this circumstance.
Panic Attack Explained:
When we talk about a person in ‘panic’, the first thing that usually comes into our untrained mind is that of the person is just over-acting over a certain situation or happening. Another idea that comes into play is that the person might have experienced a traumatizing event that led him or her to express such intense emotions. This may be the common reasons we can find to explained the cause of panic, but the truth of the matter is there is a more clinical and psychological explanation to panic attacks. By definition, panic attack is a sudden burst of emotion, particularly focusing on fear or apprehension that a person may feel over a period of time. Panic attacks usually begin in a sudden manner and the person who is suffering from this can endure this in minutes, or even hours. Causes of panic attacks may range from heredity, psychological disorder, to the mundane of diseases such as hypoglycemia and some parasitic illness.
Determining The Panic Attack Symptoms:
In order to determine if a person is suffering, or is about to experience panic attack, here are some signs and symptoms to carefully consider:
- 1. Mental torment – panic attacks are a result of the dreadful fear brought about by any person or thing. Whenever someone will suffer from this, even just the thought of that fear factor will definitely cause distress. The feeling of being nervous and uneasy is present and usually the sufferer will develop this great fear as if he or she is about to die.
- 2. Shortness of breath and fast beating of heart – during the early stages of panic attack, the person will feel like their chest is pounding heavily, the heart is palpitating, and there is difficulty in breathing. The feeling of light headedness may also be felt and sometimes it may lead the person to pass out.
- 3. Abdominal distress – there are several abdominal symptoms a person can feel in case of panic attacks. He/she may feel that the digestive juices are rising and that he/she will have abdominal cramps. Aside from that there’s also the possibility of feeling nauseated and vomiting sensation.
- 4. Throat symptoms – other signs and symptoms also include the drying and tightening of the throat which makes the person feel like it’s difficult to swallow.
- 5. Chest pains may also be felt and he/she will begin to develop severe headaches that can occur at an instant.
- 6. Physical symptoms – visible symptoms which can be seen from a person suffering from a panic attack is the shaking of one’s body from head to foot, the mouth is starting to shake as well, and he/she is very uneasy to the extent that he/she will find sitting or lying to be uncomfortable. Tingling sensations from the fingers and toes may start to manifest and the person will more likely want to escape, as if he or she is avoiding something. In other cases, the body will go numb as the nervous system is undergoing a great trauma.
Treatments:
Though panic attack is considered to be a non-lethal condition, certain treatments must be so that the person can live his/her life normally. The treatments are more focused on giving medication to the sufferer and it can be given in 3 types: antidepressants, tranquilizers, and Nardil which is a type of medication only to be used as a last resort.
Conclusion:
A person who is suffering from constant panic attacks will definitely need much care and attention as this is an abnormal condition. It should not be dismissed as a wrong perception of fear, but rather it should be clearly understood so that it can be properly addressed and given the right treatment. By looking at these panic attack symptoms mentioned, you can already determine if somebody is having, or is about to have a panic episode and give the right treatment to suppress the attack from happening.
