Panic Attacks Uncovered. Het help with panic attacks.
A panic attack is a sudden episode of intense fear that triggers severe physical reactions when there is no real danger or apparent cause. If you’re experiencing a panic attack, you may sweat a lot, have difficulty breathing and feel like your heart is racing. It may feel as if you’re having a heart attack. Although panic attacks themselves aren’t life-threatening, they can be frightening and significantly affect your quality of life.
Many individuals have one or two panic attacks in their lifetimes, and the problem goes away, perhaps when a stressful situation ends. But if you have had recurrent, unexpected panic attacks and spent long periods in constant fear of another attack, you may have a condition called panic disorder. It’s importand to help with panic attacks and have this issue addressed.
Symptoms
Panic attacks typically begin suddenly, without warning. Symptoms usually peak within 10 minutes after an attack starts. They disappear soon after, leaving you fatigued and worn out. Signs of a panic attack include:
- Difficulty breathing
- Intense feeling of terror
- Racing heart
- Sweating
- Trembling or shaking
- Chills
- Nausea
- Chest pain
- Dizziness, light-headedness or faintness
- Numbness or tingling sensation
- Feeling of detachment
These sensations are the body’s fight-or-flight response misfiring. Hormones like adrenaline surge, breathing quickens, and muscles tense in preparation to respond to a threat that isn’t actually present. Understanding that these reactions are time-limited and not dangerous can reduce secondary fear and help the symptoms pass more quickly.
Common Triggers and Patterns
Panic attacks can be truly unexpected, but they may also be cued by internal or external triggers such as major life changes, chronic stress, stimulants (e.g., excessive caffeine), or bodily sensations like rapid heartbeat after exercise. Some people develop “fear of fear,” becoming hyper-focused on normal bodily sensations and misinterpreting them as signs of impending danger, which can trigger new attacks. Over time, anticipatory anxiety can lead to avoidance of places (public transport, malls) or situations (meetings, enclosed spaces) where escape feels hard—sometimes developing into agoraphobia.
Risk Factors
✽ Age
Panic attacks typically first occur during the teen or early adult years. But people of all ages, including children, can have panic attacks.
✽ Gender
Women are twice as likely as men to develop panic disorder.
✽ Family History
Anxiety disorders, including panic disorders, often run in families.
✽ Mental Health Issues
People who have anxiety disorders, depression or other mental illness are more prone to panic attacks.
✽ Substance Abuse Problems
Alcoholism and drug addiction can increase the risk of panic attacks.
✽ Traumatic Events
A traumatic event, such as sexual assault or a serious accident can result in panic attacks. Events which cause a lot of stress, such as the death or serious illness of a loved one may also increase the chance of panic attacks.
Additional contributors include thyroid dysfunction, sleep deprivation, certain medications, and significant life transitions. While risk factors don’t “cause” panic on their own, combinations of biological vulnerability, learning history, and current stress load can lower the threshold for attacks.
Diagnosis and When to Seek Help with panic attacks
A healthcare professional will typically assess frequency of attacks, degree of avoidance, and impact on daily functioning to determine whether criteria for panic disorder are met. It’s also important to rule out medical conditions that can mimic panic (e.g., cardiac issues, asthma, thyroid problems). Seek urgent medical attention if symptoms are new, unusually severe, or accompanied by red flags such as fainting, persistent chest pain, or shortness of breath unrelated to anxiety.
Treatment
Psychotherapy, medications or a combination are very effective at stopping panic attacks.
✽ Psychotherapy
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is a type of psychotherapy, or talk therapy where you discuss your thoughts and emotions with your therapist.
CBT for panic typically includes psychoeducation about the body’s alarm system, cognitive restructuring (challenging catastrophic thoughts such as “I’m going to faint” or “I’m having a heart attack”), and interoceptive exposure—safe, therapist-guided exercises that intentionally bring on benign bodily sensations (like dizziness from spinning or a faster heart rate from stair-climbing) so you learn they are tolerable and not dangerous. In-vivo exposure helps you re-enter avoided places, rebuilding confidence and flexibility.
✽ Medication
Anti-Depressants
- Certain antidepressant medications can make panic attacks less frequent or less severe. Some examples are Selective Serotonin Re-uptake Inhibitors (SSRIs), Serotonin-Norepinephrine Re-uptake Inhibitors (SNRIs) or Tricyclic Anti-depressants (TCAs).
Anti-Anxiety Medications
Benzodiazepines are the most commonly prescribed anti-anxiety medication to treat and prevent panic attacks.
Medication decisions are individualized. Antidepressants often require several weeks to take full effect; short-term benzodiazepine use may be considered in selected cases but is generally not a first-line long-term strategy due to tolerance and dependence risks. A collaborative plan with your provider can pair medication with skills-based therapy for durable improvement.
Self-Help Tips
✽ Learn about Panic and Anxiety
By knowing more about panic attacks, it can help put you on the path to relieving your distress.
✽ Avoid Smoking, Alcohol, and Caffeine
These can all provoke panic attacks in people who are susceptible.
✽ Learn How to Control Your Breathing
Hyperventilation brings on many sensations (such as light-headedness and tightness of the chest) that occur during a panic attack. Deep breathing can help relieve these symptoms of panic. By learning to control your breathing, you can calm yourself down when you begin to feel anxious.
✽ Practice Relaxation Techniques
Activities such as yoga, meditation, and progressive muscle relaxation strengthen the body’s relaxation response. They also increase feelings of joy and equanimity.
✽ Connect Face-to-Face with Family and Friends
Symptoms of anxiety can become worse when you feel isolated, so reach out to people who care about you on a regular basis.
✽ Exercise Regularly
Exercise is a natural anxiety reliever. Rhythmic aerobic exercise that requires moving both your arms and legs, like walking, running, swimming, or dancing, can be especially effective.
✽ Get Enough Sleep
Insufficient or poor quality of sleep can make anxiety worse.
In-the-Moment Coping During an Attack
1) Name it. “This is a panic attack. It will crest and pass.” Labeling reduces secondary fear.
2) Ground with breath. Try a 4–6 pattern: inhale through the nose for 4, exhale through the mouth for 6, repeat for two minutes.
3) Orient to the present. Use the 5–4–3–2–1 method: name five things you see, four you feel, three you hear, two you smell, one you taste.
4) Stay and observe. If safe, remain where you are and watch symptoms rise and fall like a wave. This teaches your brain there is no real danger.
Prevention and Long-Term Skills
Keep a brief log of triggers, thoughts, and sensations to notice patterns. Practice brief daily breathing or mindfulness exercises when calm so they are available under stress. Reduce safety behaviors that inadvertently keep panic going (e.g., carrying “rescue” items, constantly checking pulse). Gradually reintroduce avoided places with support. Over time, your nervous system becomes less reactive, and confidence returns.
Watch the video attached to learn more!
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