Panic Attacks

Panic Disorder affects nearly four million Americans. It can strike at any time, usually brought on by stressors in one's life and its' symptoms include sweatiness, dizziness, weakness, heart racing, difficulty breathing, intense terror, and trembling. Frequently when these attacks strike someone for the first time, their thought process is that they are having a heart attack, are going to die, or that they are going crazy. Many will frequently visit an emergency room, and their anxiety increases when they find out that there is nothing physically wrong with them.

I am one of those four million.

Recently on two different reality shows, one of its' participants revealed that they had panic disorder, and I found that the person who they were confessing to didn't seem to understand what that predisposition meant. A family member came to me recently to discuss problems they were having, and in talking it became clear that they were describing panic attacks. Interestingly, those close to him didn't seem to understand the turmoil he was enduring.

Panic attacks strike quickly, and once they have started, they cannot be shut off. Basically, a panic attack is a misfiring of the "flight or fight" response in the body, and the body's reaction to stress causes a rush of adrenaline. This sudden chemical imbalance causes the body to react as described before, and the effect is sheer terror. The stressors can be caused by events that happened hours or even days before the attack, and the sheer suddenness of the attack debilitate the person.

The first time I had an attack I was walking out the door to go to work, and though I wasn't happy in my job at the time, there was nothing particularly bad that was going to happen. In an instant I felt like my chest was going to explode, and I lost all feeling in my legs and dropped to the floor. I was uncontrollable in my crying, and I just was so afraid that I wanted to die. I thought I was literally going insane; I found it extremely difficult to talk, and I was having the hardest time catching my breath. I wound down after fifteen minutes, and immediately called my doctor.

The stressor at that time was the fact that I had gone for a job interview, and things didn't pan out the way I wanted. Days later, I had the attack. I wasn't thinking consciously of anything in particular, but my body's response was to give me the flood of adrenaline. These attacks, though frightening, are not life-threatening.

Most people experience panic attacks for the first time in their twenties. There is no clear knowledge on what the exact causes are, but life events are often a trigger for the first attack; graduating college, first job, getting married, having a baby. Once you have had your first attack you are susceptible to having more attacks. Often, you can start a panic attack by fearing having a panic attack. Panic attacks can also be triggered by improper breathing; when having negative thoughts your body might slowly alter its' intake of oxygen to the point where it can start the adrenaline pump and cause the reaction.

These episodes, however, are short in duration; the body can only sustain such a flood for up to twenty minutes. Medication is available to lessen the effects of the disorder, and seeing a trained specialist in these disorders can limit the occurrence of them. There are techniques which can be taught to diminish the effect of the attacks, and even them occurring. Just knowing that you are not alone, and what the attack actually is will help lessen its' intensity. This disorder seems to have a genetic predisposition, but it has yet to be identified; if someone in your family had them you will be more likely to have them. What is known is that once you have had one, you are susceptible to them. Phobias, especially agoraphobia, or the fear of leaving ones home, can be born out of having an attack. The mind is so afraid of the trauma it has experienced that it will do anything it can to avoid having another. This can lead to other complications like depression, substance abuse, or social impairments. Often people will avoid activities associated with their first attack, whether they were driving, or in a certain setting to the point where they will develop a phobia around that activity.

What I have learned is that the one thing you can't do is change your life around the attacks. Slipping into a life of fear and anxiety over a physiological reaction is the worst thing you can do. I have never been good at changes, but recently I not only quit my job, but I have moved, switched careers, and started a business here in North Carolina. Huge changes that I knew would, and did, cause several major panic attacks. Though horrible, their effect has waned and I have been able to move on and face new challenges that I wouldn't have been able to do if I was held back by my fear. The physiological response to fear is the same as those people face on roller coasters; it all depends on your perspective whether or not it is a pleasurable sensation. Having panic attacks does not connotate weakness, letting them control your life does.