Symptoms of Panic Attacks - How To Know You Are Suffering an Attack
http://article.nanolive.com/articles/150749/1/Symptoms-of-Panic-Attacks---How-To-Know-You-Are-Suffering-an-Attack/Page1.html
Peter Johnson
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Published on 10/7/2008
A disturbingly high proportion of people who suffer from panic attacks, have no idea what the symptoms of panic attacks actually are. There are (1) mental symptoms, (2) emotional symptoms, (3) perceptual symptoms and (4) physical symptoms which often combine and confuse the sufferer. Let me show you how to set yourself free from panic attacks today...
There are many symptoms of panic attacks, including physical, mental, emotional, and perceptual symptoms.
Some of the most common physical symptoms are chest pain, nausea, stomach discomfort, sweating, shortness of breath, heart palpitations, vertigo, headaches, lightheadedness, hyperventilation, choking sensations, hot and/or cold flashes, paresthesia (localized numbness), itching or burning sensations, trembling, claustrophobic feelings, symptoms similar to a heart attack, exhaustion, muscle spasms, weakness, grinding of the teeth, temporary blindness, ringing in the ears, and dry mouth.
1 - Mental Symptoms
Mental symptoms include agoraphobia, avoidance behavior, feeling emotionally excluded, fear of impending death or doom, feeling of impaired vision, feeling like no one understands, feeling out of control, feeling of going insane, feeling like nothing is real, loud internal dialogue, irrational or racing thoughts, loss of cognitive ability, loss of the ability to react logically to external stimuli, and intense frightening realizations of reality.
2 - Emotional Symptoms
Emotional symptoms include fear of failure, fear of death, fear of living, fear of going insane, fear of losing control, fear of a serious illness, fear that the panic attack will not end, flashbacks to an earlier trigger, intense feeling of being scared, and inexplicable terror that something bad is about to happen and that you are powerless to do anything about it.
3 - Perceptual Symptoms
Perceptual symptoms include feeling that you have lost free will, tunnel vision, dissociation or depersonalization, heightened senses, dream-like sensations, and the apparent speeding up or slowing down of time. As you can see, panic attacks can come in many forms and sometimes those who suffer from them don't even recognize what they are experiencing.
4 - Physical Symptoms
People who have panic attacks say that a panic attack is one of the scariest things you will ever feel. They say that it feels like you have lost control and that your body does not respond like you want it to. Panic attacks are essentially our 'fight or flight' response. This response, which is found in all animal species, is how individuals react to stress.
We have evolutionarily come a long way and therefore our response is mutated. Instead of dealing with the stress of predators trying to eat us, we now have the stress of raising a family, dealing with our finances, or other mundane modern issues. Therefore, there is nothing to physically fight or run away from, though some who suffer from panic attacks say that they do feel a need to run away from the place where they had the panic attack, which is a perfectly biological reaction. Adversely, other animal species have been known to have panic attacks similar to ours when placed in a stressful situation, i.e., 'shutting down' or going into shock.
Conclusion:
If you are experiencing any of these many symptoms, you should see a doctor or otherwise licensed professional immediately. These people can tell you if you are having panic attacks or if your symptoms are indicative or something else. Panic attacks are a relatively common problem in our society that psychologists know how to treat successfully. By recognizing the symptoms of panic attacks, you can get them treated early and ease your suffering.
Some of the most common physical symptoms are chest pain, nausea, stomach discomfort, sweating, shortness of breath, heart palpitations, vertigo, headaches, lightheadedness, hyperventilation, choking sensations, hot and/or cold flashes, paresthesia (localized numbness), itching or burning sensations, trembling, claustrophobic feelings, symptoms similar to a heart attack, exhaustion, muscle spasms, weakness, grinding of the teeth, temporary blindness, ringing in the ears, and dry mouth.
1 - Mental Symptoms
Mental symptoms include agoraphobia, avoidance behavior, feeling emotionally excluded, fear of impending death or doom, feeling of impaired vision, feeling like no one understands, feeling out of control, feeling of going insane, feeling like nothing is real, loud internal dialogue, irrational or racing thoughts, loss of cognitive ability, loss of the ability to react logically to external stimuli, and intense frightening realizations of reality.
2 - Emotional Symptoms
Emotional symptoms include fear of failure, fear of death, fear of living, fear of going insane, fear of losing control, fear of a serious illness, fear that the panic attack will not end, flashbacks to an earlier trigger, intense feeling of being scared, and inexplicable terror that something bad is about to happen and that you are powerless to do anything about it.
3 - Perceptual Symptoms
Perceptual symptoms include feeling that you have lost free will, tunnel vision, dissociation or depersonalization, heightened senses, dream-like sensations, and the apparent speeding up or slowing down of time. As you can see, panic attacks can come in many forms and sometimes those who suffer from them don't even recognize what they are experiencing.
4 - Physical Symptoms
People who have panic attacks say that a panic attack is one of the scariest things you will ever feel. They say that it feels like you have lost control and that your body does not respond like you want it to. Panic attacks are essentially our 'fight or flight' response. This response, which is found in all animal species, is how individuals react to stress.
We have evolutionarily come a long way and therefore our response is mutated. Instead of dealing with the stress of predators trying to eat us, we now have the stress of raising a family, dealing with our finances, or other mundane modern issues. Therefore, there is nothing to physically fight or run away from, though some who suffer from panic attacks say that they do feel a need to run away from the place where they had the panic attack, which is a perfectly biological reaction. Adversely, other animal species have been known to have panic attacks similar to ours when placed in a stressful situation, i.e., 'shutting down' or going into shock.
Conclusion:
If you are experiencing any of these many symptoms, you should see a doctor or otherwise licensed professional immediately. These people can tell you if you are having panic attacks or if your symptoms are indicative or something else. Panic attacks are a relatively common problem in our society that psychologists know how to treat successfully. By recognizing the symptoms of panic attacks, you can get them treated early and ease your suffering.