People are prone to sudden bursts of emotions. It can be quite normal to be happy one minute and then feeling sad and depressed the next. While these sudden shifts of emotions can be quite a normal thing, there are certain shifts of emotions and feelings triggered by certain incidents and events that can leave a person helpless and unable to function effectively. A panic attack is one such condition.
What is a Panic Attack?
According to the American Psychological Association, a panic attack refers to an instance where a person suddenly and abruptly experiences intense feelings of anxiety. The length of a panic attack varies greatly. In some cases, it may be as short as a few seconds. In other cases, it may last as long as thirty minutes.
Possible Triggers of Panic Attacks
Although certain somatic and cognitive triggers commonly set off panic attacks, there are incidences where a panic attack can inflict an individual with no distinct or obvious triggers. Some of the most common triggers that may induce a panic attack to occur are phobias and withdrawal from certain forms of medication and vices such as alcohol.
Symptoms of a Panic Attack
The first distinct symptom commonly experienced by a person suffering a panic attack is a feeling of tightness of the chest that is closely followed by a shortness of breath and heart palpitations. In some cases, a person suffering a panic attack may also exhibit other symptoms. Some of these symptoms include Professional but are not limited to sweating profusely, nausea, light-headedness, tingling sensations on the fingers and toes, as well as hyperventilation.
The symptoms are brought about by a sudden release of adrenaline in the body. This hormone induces a feeling of flight-or-fight in the individual and as a result causes an increase in heart rate and rapid breathing. Since the balance between oxygen and carbon dioxide in the body becomes uneven as more oxygen flows into the blood stream, a person may experience the tingling sensation in his or her fingers and toes. The adrenaline released during a panic attack also causes vasoconstriction, which means less blood flows to the head. With a decrease in blood flowing to the head, an individual will often get a feeling of light-headedness.
Treatment for Panic Attack
If you have experienced the symptoms that have been mentioned earlier, the first thing that you would need to do is to consult your family physician. This is because many of the symptoms exhibited by an individual suffering a panic attack mimic the same symptoms that are seen among people suffering from cardiac arrest. Once your family physician has determined that you have suffered a panic attack, they would be able to recommend you to a psychologist who will be able to prescribe the proper treatment and therapy for you.