What IS a panic attack?

[Memorable Memo]

Alot of people on this board talk about having panic attacks, but I don't know what a panic attack is.

Can someone explain it to me, please? Danke. =]

[Boarderman]

well captin obvious here to save the day....you have a random attack of panicness, but really i've heard them referred to like a mild heart attack with out the damage and i think it's all mental problems

[Arshion]

Symptoms of a panic attack (Usually need to have more than one of these to have it considered a panic attack)

* Racing or pounding heartbeat
* Chest pains
* Stomach upset
* Dizziness, lightheadedness, nausea
* Difficulty breathing, a sense of feeling smothered
* Tingling or numbness in the hands
* Flushes or chills
* Dreamlike sensations or perceptual distortions
* Terror: a sense that something unimaginably horrible is about to occur and one is powerless to prevent it
* Fear of losing control and doing something embarrassing
* Fear of dying


(See http://www.medicinenet.com/panic_disorder/article.htm)




I used to have panic attacks all the time. It feels like when you wake up and jump out of bed from a bad dream in one swift constant motion. You're not sure if you're asleep or awake, your heart is beating and you can barely inhale because your chest hurts so much.. your legs get wobbly and if people start talking to you, they seem distant..

[Memorable Memo]

Arshion

Symptoms of a panic attack (Usually need to have more than one of these to have it considered a panic attack)

* Racing or pounding heartbeat
* Chest pains
* Stomach upset
* Dizziness, lightheadedness, nausea
* Difficulty breathing, a sense of feeling smothered
* Tingling or numbness in the hands
* Flushes or chills
* Dreamlike sensations or perceptual distortions
* Terror: a sense that something unimaginably horrible is about to occur and one is powerless to prevent it
* Fear of losing control and doing something embarrassing
* Fear of dying


(See http://www.medicinenet.com/panic_disorder/article.htm)

Wow. That's alot of stuff. ...And shitty stuff, at that.


Thank you for clearing it up for me. =]

[Arshion]

No problem =)

[CheezeGirl89]

Panic attacks are in no way fun. I've had them a few times but the first time I had one it scared me to death. I became really dizzy all of the sudden and the room was spinning so much and so fast that I had to keep myself from vomiting. My vision began to blur and get darker until eventually I was completely blind. I could hardly breathe to speak or cry out for help. I was standing on the rises during a chorus rehersal and nearly fell off of them.

Yeah, not fun.

[Memorable Memo]

CheezeGirl89

Panic attacks are in no way fun. I've had them a few times but the first time I had one it scared me to death. I became really dizzy all of the sudden and the room was spinning so much and so fast that I had to keep myself from vomiting. My vision began to blur and get darker until eventually I was completely blind. I could hardly breathe to speak or cry out for help. I was standing on the rises during a chorus rehersal and nearly fell off of them.

Yeah, not fun.

Do you know what triggered it?

Were you stressed out or something? Or was is random?

[Arshion]

Depression, stress, social-anxiety are all things that trigger it.

Some people get them when they're in crowded places
Or even just.. anywhere in public

[CheezeGirl89]

fang_woman

CheezeGirl89

Panic attacks are in no way fun. I've had them a few times but the first time I had one it scared me to death. I became really dizzy all of the sudden and the room was spinning so much and so fast that I had to keep myself from vomiting. My vision began to blur and get darker until eventually I was completely blind. I could hardly breathe to speak or cry out for help. I was standing on the rises during a chorus rehersal and nearly fell off of them.

Yeah, not fun.

Do you know what triggered it?

Were you stressed out or something? Or was is random?

I don't think I was stressed at all. Everyone told me later that it was because I was nervous/scared about that night's Chorus concert but I really don't think that it was. I was fine all through the actual concert and not nervous at all during previous practices.

I have never heard of them randomly happening but I don't know why that one happened. All the ones I have now are because I'm driving. I hate to drive. I get really paranoid and panicy... trust me, you don't want to go into a panic attack while you're driving. Thankfully when I do it's never a full one and I can stay conscious enough to at least stay in my lane.

[Memorable Memo]

Arshion

Depression, stress, social-anxiety are all things that trigger it.

Some people get them when they're in crowded places
Or even just.. anywhere in public

Oh. Makes sense.

[Memorable Memo]

CheezeGirl89

fang_woman

CheezeGirl89

Panic attacks are in no way fun. I've had them a few times but the first time I had one it scared me to death. I became really dizzy all of the sudden and the room was spinning so much and so fast that I had to keep myself from vomiting. My vision began to blur and get darker until eventually I was completely blind. I could hardly breathe to speak or cry out for help. I was standing on the rises during a chorus rehersal and nearly fell off of them.

Yeah, not fun.

Do you know what triggered it?

Were you stressed out or something? Or was is random?

I don't think I was stressed at all. Everyone told me later that it was because I was nervous/scared about that night's Chorus concert but I really don't think that it was. I was fine all through the actual concert and not nervous at all during previous practices.

I have never heard of them randomly happening but I don't know why that one happened. All the ones I have now are because I'm driving. I hate to drive. I get really paranoid and panicy... trust me, you don't want to go into a panic attack while you're driving. Thankfully when I do it's never a full one and I can stay conscious enough to at least stay in my lane.

Well, I suggest next time (well, hopefully there will be no next time, just saying) that you should pull over if you feel one might happen. For everyone's sake.

[CheezeGirl89]

fang_woman

CheezeGirl89

fang_woman

CheezeGirl89

Panic attacks are in no way fun. I've had them a few times but the first time I had one it scared me to death. I became really dizzy all of the sudden and the room was spinning so much and so fast that I had to keep myself from vomiting. My vision began to blur and get darker until eventually I was completely blind. I could hardly breathe to speak or cry out for help. I was standing on the rises during a chorus rehersal and nearly fell off of them.

Yeah, not fun.

Do you know what triggered it?

Were you stressed out or something? Or was is random?

I don't think I was stressed at all. Everyone told me later that it was because I was nervous/scared about that night's Chorus concert but I really don't think that it was. I was fine all through the actual concert and not nervous at all during previous practices.

I have never heard of them randomly happening but I don't know why that one happened. All the ones I have now are because I'm driving. I hate to drive. I get really paranoid and panicy... trust me, you don't want to go into a panic attack while you're driving. Thankfully when I do it's never a full one and I can stay conscious enough to at least stay in my lane.

Well, I suggest next time (well, hopefully there will be no next time, just saying) that you should pull over if you feel one might happen. For everyone's sake.

I do when I can, but on our little backroads there usually isn't anywhere to pull over unless you want to end up over a ten foot drop off. xp

[Memorable Memo]

CheezeGirl89

fang_woman

CheezeGirl89

fang_woman

CheezeGirl89

Panic attacks are in no way fun. I've had them a few times but the first time I had one it scared me to death. I became really dizzy all of the sudden and the room was spinning so much and so fast that I had to keep myself from vomiting. My vision began to blur and get darker until eventually I was completely blind. I could hardly breathe to speak or cry out for help. I was standing on the rises during a chorus rehersal and nearly fell off of them.

Yeah, not fun.

Do you know what triggered it?

Were you stressed out or something? Or was is random?

I don't think I was stressed at all. Everyone told me later that it was because I was nervous/scared about that night's Chorus concert but I really don't think that it was. I was fine all through the actual concert and not nervous at all during previous practices.

I have never heard of them randomly happening but I don't know why that one happened. All the ones I have now are because I'm driving. I hate to drive. I get really paranoid and panicy... trust me, you don't want to go into a panic attack while you're driving. Thankfully when I do it's never a full one and I can stay conscious enough to at least stay in my lane.

Well, I suggest next time (well, hopefully there will be no next time, just saying) that you should pull over if you feel one might happen. For everyone's sake.

I do when I can, but on our little backroads there usually isn't anywhere to pull over unless you want to end up over a ten foot drop off. xp

Yeah, I've lived places like that. I understand.

[hurkydoesntknow]

I think I might have had one last night. I tried going to bed last night because we had this HUGE storm (tornado warnings were issued) and this wind was blowing against my windows. I feared that the windows would break. I felt like I wanted to throw up and my heart was pounding. I tried drinking water, but it didn't help.

[Rennie`]

Panic attacks are probably the most horrid experience anybody could go through in their whole lifetime. Not only are the physical symptoms very uncomfortable but so are thr thoughts racing around your head, they fear of dying, the fear of loosing control, the fear of going insane.

For something that is not damaging (physically) or life threatening it can feel like a heart attack!

For those who suffer from panic attacks I have made a guild called Anxiety & Phobias. It's a new guild but I hope to get it up and running soon.