According to the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV), a Panic Attack is a discrete period of intense fear or discomfort, in which either some or all of the following symptoms developed abruptly and reached a peak within 10 minutes; palpitations, pounding heart, sweating, shaking, sensations of shortness of breath, choking, nausea or dizziness, faint or fear of losing control or fear of dying, numbness or tingling sensations and chills.
A person is susceptible to increasing their anxiety in highly stressful situations for they are associated with and are a common symptom of anxiety. In some cases, people with high anxiety may take flight out of desperation. According to the DSM-IV, exposure to a phobic stimulus almost invariably provokes an immediate anxiety response, which may take the form of a situational predisposed panic attack or interfere with decision making on the part of the person.
A person may experience a Panic Attack every time they are faced with a fearful situation that causes them to be anxious, experience significant distress and interfering with usual activities. Other symptoms include an extreme fear about a specific thing, i.e, dogs, snakes, heights or needles to name a few. A person who experiences a Panic Attack may find it difficult to function at that moment, rendering them incapable of proceeding normally, (They freeze or become motionless).
A lot of people who experience a panic attack may feel like they can’t breathe and may feel like they are going to die. But those symptoms only escalate the anxiety and that is when a person may lose control of their anxiety and require more help. You have to talk your self down from the panic and anxiety and tell yourself that you’ll be fine. No one has ever died from a panic attack. You have to remember that you are in control of your anxiety and you can also prevent it from escalating. Breathing exercises also help a lot. Alianza Counseling can help you with these symptoms.
