In a life lived in a hurry, people of our times are increasingly confronted with extreme situations that generate the appearance of various psychic and mental disorders. Many times, due to the lack of information, prejudices, superficiality and neglect of these same aspects, the person can come to face some episodes of psychic collapse.

Such disorders must be understood and addressed from the perspective of the importance of the functioning of the organism as a unitary whole. An intelligent approach could be one in which one relates to the mind and psyche at least in the same way that one relates to the physical body. So just as we take care of the body, nourish it, wash it, do physical activity to keep it in shape, the same way we must also do with our mind and with our psyche. Just as we make an appointment with our doctor to check and treat the health of the physical body, it is equally useful and necessary to schedule regular visits to the psychologist or psychotherapist to examine the state of health of our mind and soul and to be able to cure them. A properly functioning mind generates balanced and harmonious psychic experiences which, in turn, generate efficient and functional behaviors. 

What do we mean by panic attacks?

Panic attacks can be defined as "fear of fear". For example, seeing a dog and being frightened of him cannot be considered a panic attack. The panic attack is when you see the dog, you start thinking about the things that dog could do to you and, as a result of those thoughts, symptoms characterized by a great paralyzing terror appear.

How to recognize panic attacks?

First of all it is good to know that anyone can find themselves, in a moment of their life, in the situation of having to live the unpleasant experience of a panic attack. Most of the time these appear and manifest with lightning speed. Anything, at any given moment, can act as a trigger for the appearance of a panic attack. Taking these things into account, it is good to inquire and know, at least at the cognitive level, what are the specific symptoms of a panic attack. And in order not to risk falling into the trap of imagination and misinterpretation, we will first describe the strictly physical symptoms of panic attacks.

These are characterized by:

- The appearance of pain in the chest area, pain localized in a specific area;

- Shaking, chills;

- Difficulty in breathing;

- Dizziness;

- Feeling of nausea, vomiting;

- Abundant perspiration, moist skin;

- Hot flashes;

- Tachycardia;

- Generalized numbness;

- Lack of air;

- Cramps in the limbs;

- Some forms of local paralysis generated by hyperventilation.

What does one feel emotionally during a panic attack?

The emotional experiences during a panic attack are overwhelming and include:

- Strong fear;

- Fear of dying;

- Fear of losing control, accompanied by a state of despair and helplessness;

- Feeling of detachment and uprooting;

- Sensation of psychic destructuring;

- Feeling of derealization;

- Catastrophic thoughts.

Confusion between panic attack and heart attack

If we carefully analyze the above, we discover that many of the symptoms, especially the physical ones, can also be found in other disorders. Above all, there is a similarity between the symptoms of a panic attack and those of a heart attack, among which we can mention: 

- Dizziness;

- Perspiration;

- Pain in the chest area;

- The feeling of nausea and / or vomiting.

Confusion between panic attack and anxiety

Stress and excessive anxiety can sometimes be confused with panic attacks. There are, however, some differences that can help us understand what we are dealing with. Usually, anxiety is generated by a specific situation, such as an interview, preparation for an exam, an important decision that must be taken. In most cases, anxiety disappears when the cause that generated it is resolved. Panic attacks, on the other hand, after appearing tend to return quite often and intensely. Panic attacks reach their moment of maximum intensity in a few minutes, while the state of anxiety can last much longer and be less intense as experienced. The appearance of the panic attack does not have a specific reason. This can appear spontaneously and have an overwhelming intensity. 

How to efficiently manage a panic attack

- It can be said that the panic attack is exclusivist: it captures all your attention; the first thing you can do when confronted with such a situation is to shift your attention, focus on something specific, anything that allows you not to stay focused on the symptoms that have appeared. For example, you can focus on anything in the environment around you, voices, sounds, smells, writing on the walls, car plates, etc.;

- Use something concrete to distract your attention; take the keys and spin them on your fingers, bend over to untie and tie again your shoelaces, look up the number of a friend in the phone book, call someone and talk, if you have fresh water at hand, drink it in small sips, pinch yourself, ask someone what time it is;

- Formulate and express a sentence that describes who you are and what you were doing; for example: “I'm Steve, I'm getting on the metro, today I put on the blue jacket because…”;

- Breathe deeply; inhale slowly through the nose, direct the inspired air towards the abdomen area, keep it there for 4-5 seconds and then exhale very slowly from the mouth; repeat this cycle of breaths several times; deep breathing will help you oxygenate your brain and be able to think clearly in order to gain control of the situation;

- Practice awareness at the level of the senses; touch something and try to be aware of the sensation you perceive while touching; drink or eat something and be aware of the taste of those foods; try to feel and identify the smells that surround you;

- If possible, sit down and try to become aware of your thoughts, feelings, emotions and physical symptoms; for example, you observe yourself and tell yourself: “my hands are sweaty, my legs are shaking, my heart beats are accelerated”; then express what you think: “I'm afraid I will faint and nobody will help me”;

- Become aware and repeat in your mind the fact that all these thoughts and feelings are only the fruit of your mind, nothing more; as they appeared, they will disappear;

- Do not start running, do not rush your way, on the contrary, slow down, even stop and sit down;

- If you can find a place to sit or relax, gradually, progressively relax all the muscles of the body;

- Contract and relax subsequently, several times, the pelvic area and the forehead.

Tips:

- If the episodes recur it is indicated to consult a mental health specialist;

- If you are not sure whether it is a panic attack, call the local emergency number;

- Talk to your doctor to get him to prescribe tests and make sure that the symptoms are not due to other causes;

- Regularly practice yoga and walks outdoors, possibly in contact with nature;

- For a period of time, at least, avoid exciting substances and seasonings in the diet;

- Dare and talk to a psychotherapist.

Psychotherapist Virgil Calin