WHAT IS A PANIC ATTACK?
Panic attacks are sudden and unexpected attacks of intense fear in response to an imagined threat or danger. They can occur in non-threatening situations, have a known cause, or sometimes occur without cause. They are sudden and powerful psychological and physical attacks, similar to the sensation of a heart attack. They can make a person feel like they're having a heart attack and even fear they could die.
During a panic attack, the heart rate increases, palpitations occur, and chest tightness, along with dizziness and nausea, can also occur. Chest pain, sweating, and shaking are also characteristic symptoms of a panic attack. Fainting can also occur during a panic attack.
Panic attacks, which sometimes have obvious causes and sometimes occur without cause, are typically the result of a life lived under intense stress and psychological trauma. These stresses and traumas send false alarms through the brain and into the body, triggering a panic attack driven by a survival instinct.
Panic attacks, which primarily involve therapy-based treatment options such as cognitive behavioral therapy and psychotherapy, can also be treated with medications, depending on the patient's condition.
PANIC ATTACK SYMPTOMS
Sudden onset of rapid heartbeat, palpitations, cold sweats, flushing, involuntary tremors in the limbs, tingling and pain in the abdomen, chest pain and shortness of breath, feeling like you're going to faint, and fear of dying are symptoms that indicate a panic attack.
Symptoms of a panic attack that begins suddenly with intense anxiety include:
- Your heart starts beating like it's about to pop out of its place
- Cold sweat
- Chest pain and chest pressure
- Dizziness, fainting and lightheadedness
- Sudden fear of losing control, having a heart attack, or dying
- Hot flashes
- Difficulty breathing
- Involuntary tremors in the hands and legs
- Stomach ache
- Nausea
- Dry mouth
WHAT CAUSES PANIC ATTACKS?
Panic attacks arise from a survival instinct, which triggers false alarms in the brain. Panic attacks, a psychological disorder, can be caused by traumatic events such as stress and grief, as well as neurotransmitter imbalances in the brain. Medical conditions such as thyroid and heart arrhythmias can also contribute to panic disorder.
In addition, the following situations are among the causes of panic attacks:
- Difficulty expressing oneself
- Repressed emotions
- Childhood traumas
- Depression
- Social phobia
- Seeing blood
- Fear of dogs, cats, heights, elevators, insects, airplanes, etc.
- Fear of closed spaces (claustrophobia)
- Agoraphobia
- Palpitations that wake you up at night as a panic attack during sleep
- Difficulty breathing
- Feeling of suffocation
Genetic predisposition in the family, stress, sexual assault, excessive use of cigarettes and caffeine, divorce, and chronic diseases can also be listed as causes of panic attacks.
