What are panic attacks?

Key Facts

Friday, 04 February 2005

Sometimes anxiety can rise to such a high level that we feel so mentally and physically tense and unwell that we stop what we are doing and try to leave or escape the situation. Sometimes we may feel paralysed into inactivity like rabbits caught in the headlamps of a car and freeze, expecting disaster to strike at any moment. This feeling of acute fear, dread or terror is called a panic attack. Panic attacks rarely last longer than 20-30 minutes.

During panic, there are strong beliefs that something terrible or catastrophic is happening right now. Common fears are "I'm going to faint", "I'm going to suffocate" "I'm going to collapse", "I'm going to have a stroke", or "I'm going to have a heart attack". Sometimes the fear is of going mad or losing control. The fear is always immediately threatening, scary and catastrophic. We may then become overly aware of the anxious fears and quickly stop what we are doing, and hurry away from the situation. In some cases, there isn't any specific fear or anxiety, however, we can still experience panic attacks. This occurs when other upsets or fears build up and up in our minds. At least one in ten people experience a panic attack at some time in their lives.

Panic attack checklist:
Q. Do I notice anxiety that rises to a peak?
Q. Do I feel mentally very scared and physically unwell during the panic?
Q. Do I fear that something terrible/catastrophic will happen during the panic?
Q. Do I become overly aware of the things that I fear might happen during panic?
Q. Am I downplaying my own ability to overcome these problems?
Q. Do I stop what I am doing and try to immediately escape or leave when I feel like this?

If you have answered Yes to several of these questions, then panic may be a problem for you. Talk to your health care practitioner about this.

Next step: The workbook Understanding panic and phobias in the book Overcoming Anxiety: A Five Areas Approach will help you find out more about panic attacks and how they affect you. It will also help you identify areas of your life you can change to try to overcome these problems in a planned step-by-step way.

References:
Overcoming Depression: A Five Areas Approach. Williams C, (2001) Hodder Arnold: London ISBN 0-340-76383

Overcoming Anxiety: A Five Areas Approach. Williams C, (2003) Hodder Arnold: London ISBN: 034081005X

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Last Updated ( Friday, 04 February 2005 )

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