Suddenly, and for no apparent reason your heart begins to race, you experience an intense feeling of terror and you feel like you are smothering. You have difficulty breathing, your body begins to shake and you feel like you are totally out of control and are on the verge of dying. You are most likely one of the 60 million Americans who will suffer from at least one panic attack at some time during their life.
It was totally unexpected, and there was no reason for it to take place. You will be the first to agree with others that it was the scariest thing that has ever happened in your life. Many of the symptoms are the same as those of a heart attack, and that may have been your first thought.
Since nothing frightening is actually happening, the fear that is experienced is completely out of context, and it is totally unreasonable. The fact that the person has no idea what caused the attack often causes them to live in fear that another one may happen when they least expect it. Their lives are never the same again.
Other symptoms that are often experienced include nausea, stomach aches, chills, dizziness, faintness and sweating. The worst symptom of all is not knowing when one will occur or why it happened in the first place. The fear can become so great that the person may isolate himself completely and refuse to leave his home for any reason.
Doctors do not know what causes these attacks. Studies have been able to single out four factors that may be linked to a cause. It may be a genetic problem because they have a tendency to run in families. Doctors have noticed abnormalities in the brains of some of the patients who have experienced this, and they know that drugs or alcohol has this type of adverse affect on a person. One of the most likely causes is a major life stress like a death of a loved one, a murder, an abduction, rape or a major life change.
Panic attacks normally begin in late adolescence or early adulthood. Seldom is the first attack experienced in later years. Interestingly, more women have this problem than men. Five percent of all adults suffer from panic attacks.
Doctors highly recommend that a person seek help soon after they experience their first attack. The longer the problem goes undiagnosed, the more complications the patient can have. They may develop phobias to specific things or to going specific places. Oftentimes, they come to the place that they avoid all social situations for of another attack. Many become depressed and start thinking suicidal thoughts.
Panic attacks do not have a permanent cure. The best doctors can do is help patients find a way to prevent the attacks from happening. They often prescribe medications or use medication with psychotherapy to help them lead as normal of a life as possible.
People are affected in a variety of adverse ways by a panic attack. Their life is so changed that it is never the same again. Thankfully by seeing a doctor right away and learning how to deal with these attacks, a person is able to conquer the abnormal fear.
Do you suffer from an anxiety disorder including panic attack disorder? Check out our guide to all you need to know about panic attacks. Grab a totally unique version of this article from the Uber Article Directory
