Panic+Attack

= = = Definition: = An episode of overwhelming anxiety, fear, or terror. Gen Psych ,Chapter 12, pp. 385

Panics attacks are periods of intense fear or apprehension that are of sudden onset and of variable duration from minutes to hours. Panic attacks usually begin abruptly, may reach a peak within 10 minutes, but may continue for much longer if the sufferer had the attack triggered by a situation from which they are not able to escape. In panic attacks that continue unabated, and are triggered by a situation from which the sufferer desires to escape, some sufferers may make frantic efforts to escape, which may be violent if others attempt to contain the sufferer. Some panic attacks can subside on their own over the next several hours. Often, those afflicted will experience significant anticipatory anxiety and limited symptom attacks in between attacks, in situations where attacks have previously occurred. The effects of a panic attack vary. Some, notably first-time sufferers, may call for emergency services. Many who experience a panic attack, mostly for the first time, fear they are having a heart attack or a nervous breakdown. Experiencing a panic attack has been said to be one of the most intensely frightening, upsetting, and uncomfortable experiences of a person's life and may take days to initially recover from. Repeated panic attacks are considered a symptom of panic disorder. Panic Attacks

Symptoms
Panic attacks typically begin suddenly, without warning. They can strike at almost any time — when you're driving the car, at the mall, sound asleep or in the middle of a business meeting. Panic attacks have many variations, but symptoms usually peak within 10 minutes. You may feel fatigued and worn out after a panic attack subsides. Panic attacks typically include a few or many of these symptoms: One of the worst things about panic attacks is the intense fear that you'll have another one. You may fear having a panic attack so much that you avoid situations where they may occur. You may even feel unable to leave your home (agoraphobia) because no place feels safe. [|Panic Attacks]
 * Sense of impending doom or danger
 * Fear of loss of control or death
 * Rapid heart rate
 * Sweating
 * Trembling
 * Shortness of breath
 * Hyperventilation
 * Chills
 * Hot flashes
 * Nausea
 * Abdominal cramping
 * Chest pain
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #54585a; font-family: helvetica,arial,sans-serif;">Headache
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #54585a; font-family: helvetica,arial,sans-serif;">Dizziness
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #54585a; font-family: helvetica,arial,sans-serif;">Faintness
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #54585a; font-family: helvetica,arial,sans-serif;">Tightness in your throat
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #54585a; font-family: helvetica,arial,sans-serif;">Trouble swallowing

= Examples: = 1. A feeling a person might get while driving through an intersection where she/he once had a traffic accident. 2. Symptom of a psychological disorder.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">"All of a sudden, I felt a tremendous wave of fear for no reason at all. My heart was pounding, my chest hurt, and it was getting harder to breathe. I thought I was going to die." <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">"I'm so afraid. Every time I start to go out, I get that awful feeling in the pit of my stomach, and I'm terrified that another panic attack is coming or that some other, unknown terrible thing was going to happen." <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Panic Attacks

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">

= Analogies: = A panic attack is like having a heart attack. A panic attack is like being terrified but not knowing why you are scared. A panic attack feels like an elephant is sitting on your chest and afterwards you feel like you got hit by a MAC truck.

= Mnemonics: = P- personal A- anxiety N- not knowing I- if you C- can A- actually T- take the T- turmoil A- acknowledging C- caring K- knowing

=In the News:= [|Heart Medications May Also Calm Nerves, Keeping Them Banned] Greg Norman, winner of 91 tournaments worldwide, remembers a time when panic attacks on the elite golf circuit were often alleviated with the illicit use of a common heart and blood pressure medicine, the beta blocker.

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