Panic Attacks In Anxiety Disorders -Traumatic Experiences Of Patients

Panic attacks are synonymous with anxiety attacks. Panic attack or anxiety attack is a great deterrent of normal life since it makes a person undergoing it to behave abnormally. If one experiences panic or anxiety attacks frequently which make him miss out important scheduled activities, living a normal life is totally impossible. These attacks do not allow one to do the things he enjoys and loves.

A typical panic or anxiety attack starts when the body quickly responds to the stimulus which provokes anxiety. It could be anything in one's environment, sparking off worry, fear and anxiety for the patient. For most people, these attacks come suddenly out of the blue, without any warning - as seemingly there could be no stimulus to start that attack. One may wake up in the morning feeling tense with worry or afraid for no reason at all. Once these symptoms start, it is very difficult for the person to control them. The symptoms keep on building up to a scale when the body feels threatened by some sort of an external situation. These pent-up feelings of extreme fear then manifest as the body's physiological reactions.

These anxiety symptoms cause the body to change from its calm state to an agitated or nervous panic state. Patient feels physically ill with headaches, nausea, chills or hot flashes, etc. He feels as if he is undergoing a heart attack due to the increased palpitations of the heart, leading to a tightening feeling in the chest. One suspects a seizure because with the growing tension in the body, involuntary movements like twitching or shakes or jittering start manifesting. These physiological reactions render bringing the anxiety level down virtually impossible. One begins to dread that a more complicated medical problem is going to follow which only adds to the anxiety he is feeling.

The body thinks that it is threatened by a dangerous situation. The physiological response is a reaction of the body when confronted with symptoms of anxiety. The body either tries to put up a brave fight or tries to take a flight away from the symptoms. Either way, the body gets tense, worked up and confused as a result of the stimuli provoking anxiety. It readies itself for a seeming battle. But once this feeling of worry or fear subsides, the body takes the cue and then returns to a more calm and stable state.

While the patient is undergoing the panic or anxiety attacks, his physical and psychological symptoms render it impossible for him to leave his house, drive or undertake any physical or mental activity. The terror he feels is so consuming that it momentarily paralyzes him so that he is unable to move. He feels sick physically and loses all desire to be active. This is very distressing especially if the person is required to work on something or go somewhere. He fears all the time that his panic attack or anxiety attack will be sparked off by something. This inhibits his life severely and puts grave limitations on such a person at school or at work.

But for such people, help is always on hand if they experience panic or anxiety attacks. They need to confide in their healthcare professionals who will evaluate these persons and determine what help they need. Most physicians may also take the help of a therapist who needs to coach the patients to control their anxiety levels and thus reduce the occurrence and severity of the panic or anxiety attacks they undergo.