Someone having a panic attack experiences a sudden and intense sensation of fear. They may feel they have lost control and feel desperate to get out of the situation that has triggered their anxiety. They may also:
- breathe rapidly
- feel breathless
- sweat
- feel very hot or cold
- feel sick
- feel faint or dizzy
- have tingling fingers
- shiver or shake
- have a racing heart or irregular heartbeat (palpitations)
The problem may get worse if over-breathing sets in because this triggers sensations such as confusion, cramps, pains and feelings of weakness. The symptoms of a severe panic attack can be quite similar to a heart attack and someone experiencing one may be convinced they are going to die.
To someone having a panic attack, an activity that other people consider simple may seem impossible.
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Many people who regularly experience panic attacks seem to be helped by learning to breathe calmly when an attack feels near. An acute panic attack often subsides if you breathe in and out into a bag. This allows you to re-breathe your own carbon dioxide.
Though it may seem a strange thing to do, it allows the acidity in the blood that is upset by over-breathing to return to normal. This removes many of the strange sensations that panic causes.
For some people, just knowing that their panic is caused by a vicious circle of fear and body sensations can help calm them down.
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Talking treatments, such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, can help you to rethink the meanings you attach to changes in your body. For example, you may need to recognise that a fast pulse could be due to running upstairs or drinking too much coffee, rather than interpreting symptoms in a 'catastrophic' way (e.g. I'm going to die, or I'm going to faint).
This kind of rethinking is achieved through demonstrations by the therapist and through activities you carry out at home.
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Updated in 2009
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