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Location: Home > KeySolutions EAP > E-Zine Archive > Panic Attacks Panic Attacks
Panic attacks are very real, very awful, and emotionally debilitating. Many people who experience their first panic attack find themselves at hospital emergency rooms...or at doctor's offices - prepared to hear the very worst possible news about their health. When they hear that their condition is not life-threatening, (unlike when one suffers a heart attack), their frustration and anxiety may actually increase: "...if nothing is wrong with me physically, what happened to me? Am I going crazy?" Common symptoms of panic attacks include:
A panic attack typically lasts several long minutes and is one of the most distressing conditions a person can experience. In some cases, panic attacks have been know to last for longer periods of time or to recur very quickly over and over again. Feelings of depression and helplessness are usually experienced after a panic attack. The greatest fear is that the panic attack will come back again and again. If a person suffering from panic attacks is not diagnosed and treated, they can bounce around from doctor to doctor for years without finding relief. Instead, it becomes more and more frustrating to the panic sufferer because no one seems to be able to pinpoint the problem and provide any relief. Because the symptoms of panic are very real, the anxiety is so traumatizing, and the entire experience is new and strange, a panic attack is one of the worst experiences a person can have. In addition to the attack there is always that nagging uncertainty, "Will this happen again?" Some people become so frightened of having additional panic attacks, especially in public, that they withdraw into their "safe zones", usually their homes, and very rarely leave them. This condition is know as agoraphobia. Someone with agoraphobia does not enjoy having their life so restricted; it is a depressing and miserable existence. It is the fear of having further panic attacks that keeps them bound close to home. Over four million Americans suffer from panic attacks, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. That number is about 5% of the adult American population. Many researchers feel that even this number is a low estimate, because many people who experience panic attacks never receive the proper diagnosis and "live" with it, despite its horror and constant terror. Today, panic attacks and agoraphobia can be treated successfully in the vast majority of cases. In fact, it is estimated that the appropriate therapy from a knowledgeable therapist helps close to 90% of panic suffers. People who experience panic and agoraphobia are not "crazy" and do not need to be in therapy for extended periods of time. Sessions depend on the severity and length of the problem and the willingness of the client to actively participate in treatment. When a person with panic is motivated to practice and try new techniques, that person is literally changing the way their brain responds. When you change the way your brain responds, anxiety and panic will continue to shrink and shrink and case to cause problems. Learning how to eliminate the thoughts and feelings that lead to the vicious cycle of panic and anxiety can lead to overcoming this debilitating condition. |
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