• Home
  • Mental Health
  • Depression
  • Meditation
  • Stress Disorders
  • Anxiety
  • Mental Illness
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
Natural Element
  • Home
  • Mental Health
  • Depression
  • Meditation
  • Stress Disorders
  • Anxiety
  • Mental Illness
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
Natural Element
No Result
View All Result

What is a panic attack? Symptoms, causes, treatment and more

November 7, 2022


Heart pounding, lungs straining, room spinning, a panic attack can make people feel as if they’re about to die. Then, just as suddenly as it begins, it’s over.

TODAY co-host Carson Daly has plenty of experience with panic attacks and anxiety, and that’s why he advocates for greater mental health awareness with his TODAY All Day series “Mind Matters.” In a recent special, titled “Mind Matters: Behind the Picture,” aired Nov. 7, he opened up about one time he had a panic attack while on a playground with his wife, TODAY Food contributor Siri Daly, and kids.

“It was coming on. I knew it, and I got so scared. And you don’t know what to do. It’s just fight or flight,” he recalled. “In your mind, it’s a false signal sent from your brain to your body that there’s an imminent threat. I just took off and went to the hotel where we were staying. We were on vacation, and I just hid scared like a little boy.”

“That is such a hard pill to swallow as a man, as a father. I left my wife and my children just in some park and went running for my life,” he added. “But part of healing and part of understanding who we are is acceptance. And I accept that’s who I am.”

After the special aired, Carson revealed that he wears his mental health struggles “like a badge of honor. I’ve always had anxiety. I’ve dealt with the panic attacks. I’ve gone to tons of therapy.”

“This is how God made me, I’m wired this way,” he added. “I’m proud to wear it.”

What’s happening during a panic attack?

The Anxiety and Depression Association of America describes a panic attack as the abrupt onset of intense fear or discomfort. It can happen out of the blue and for no obvious reason when a person is calm, or strike when she’s feeling anxious.

The body responds as if it’s in danger, even though there is no threat, said Todd Farchione, Ph.D., director of the intensive program at Boston University’s Center for Anxiety & Related Disorders.

Related: Woman’s photos after panic attack aim to de-stigmatize mental illness.

“It’s sort of a false alarm,” Farchione said. “It’s all internal, and that’s what’s so frightening for people. If you had a big spider in front of you and were having a reaction to that, you’d say, ‘I understand why I’m having a reaction to that.’”

But there is no spider, just a sudden surge of overwhelming fear and the body’s classic fight-or-flight response designed to get you out of there or face a threat.

Panic attacks are a common phenomenon and can happen with any anxiety disorder, Farchione said.

What are the symptoms of a panic attack?

Without warning, sufferers feel out of control and “crazy,” and experience “terror that is almost paralyzing,” the American Psychological Association noted. They also feel there’s no way to stop the panic attack.

Symptoms may include a racing heart, difficulty breathing, nausea, lightheadedness, shakiness, and the tingling of hands or lips. People can also experience feelings of unreality, not being present or being disconnected, Farchione said.

What does a panic attack feel like?

Here are some first-hand accounts from high-profile sufferers:

“I’m like, ‘What is this? Am I dying? What’s happening?’” actor Chrissy Metz recalled thinking during a panic attack she experienced on her 30th birthday. “It was really scary.”

“Everything was spinning, like my brain was trying to climb out of my head. The air felt thick and heavy. My mouth was like chalk,” basketball star Kevin Love wrote in an essay published in 2018. “It was like my body was trying to say to me, ‘You’re about to die.’”

“I had a hard time breathing. I was terrified for no apparent reason. At times, I feel like there’s a saber-toothed tiger right here and it’s going to attack me and kill me. I’m scared as if that’s really happening. You feel like you’re dying — in fact, I went to the hospital,” TODAY’s Carson Daly said.

“Every single time I was in any room with loads of people, which is quite often, I was just pouring with sweat, like heart beating — boom, boom, boom, boom — and literally just like a washing machine,” Britain’s Prince Harry recalled in 2017, revealing he often suffered serious panic attacks after the death of his mother.

How long does a panic attack last?

The height of a panic attack lasts a few minutes because the body can’t sustain that level of fight-or-flight arousal for very long, Farchione said. But after it peters out, the sufferer may continue to worry about it and still feel some of the symptoms.

What is panic disorder?

When people begin to fear their panic attacks and are preoccupied with their next one, they may develop panic disorder, which strikes about 3% of U.S. adults, the Anxiety and Depression Association of America estimates. The disorder is twice as common in women as in men.

Sufferers are more sensitive to very minor changes and fluctuations in their body, triggering a spiral of fear, Farchione said. They can think themselves into a panic attack by anticipating it.

“The panic attack itself … is the thing they’re afraid of,” he noted, so they’ll avoid situations where it’s more likely to happen or where it’s happened before. They may shun public transportation, concerts, movie theaters and other places where they feel they can’t easily escape.

“Wherever I’d had a panic attack, I would never go back there,” Carson said in promotional clip for the Nov. 7 special. “I had one in Aspen, Colorado, so I could never go to elevation. So I’d google cities I was flying to and see how many feet they were above sea level. And that kept happening. And then I was, like, ‘I’m not going let this define my life.’ But it’s easier said than done.”

What’s the treatment?

Therapy and medications can help. There’s also evidence that eating certain foods can help manage your overall anxiety.

Educate yourself. Just understanding what a panic attack is, how it manifests, how long it’ll last can be very valuable, Farchione said.

Try to think differently about your response. Being more open, accepting and compassionate about your symptoms can help, he noted. Tell yourself, “It’s OK, there’s nothing wrong with me. It doesn’t mean there’s anything dangerous here.”

Avoid avoiding. Try not to shun situations or things likely to elicit the attack, Farchione said. “What’s interesting about panic disorder is the more the person goes toward surrender and acceptance of the panic attacks, they’re much less likely to have them. It short-circuits the cycle that happens with panic.”

Know your baseline. Another tip to manage panic attacks and anxiety comes from Alfiee Breland-Noble, Ph.D., who shared the tip for “Mind Matters: Behind the Picture,” airing Nov. 7.

She recommends, when you wake up in the morning, to ask yourself how you feel and rank it on a scale of one to 10. Do the same in the middle of the day and before you go to bed. Then, after a few days of doing this, you can come up with an average.

Say your average is a six, but you start feeling like a two for several days. “That’s how you know the difference between, ‘Is this something that’s just a nuisance? Or is this something I need to deal with?'” Breland Noble explained.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com



Source_link

Share120Tweet75Share30

Related Posts

A Three-Headed Monster: Mental Illness, Stigma, and Suicide
Mental Illness

A Three-Headed Monster: Mental Illness, Stigma, and Suicide

February 2, 2023

Suicide is one of the most misunderstood and stigmatized of human experiences. We need a call to arms, not in the sense of weapons, but rather with people working together. Most suicides result from a combination of two things:...

Social Media Addiction – All The News From Sikkim, India and The World
Mental Illness

Social Media Addiction – All The News From Sikkim, India and The World

February 2, 2023

Share Tweet Share Share Email Everything about Social Media Addiction Pakyong, 2 Feb: Over the past ten years, checking and browsing through social media has grown in popularity. Despite the fact that the majority of people’s use of...

1.28m M’sians suffering from schizophrenia
Mental Illness

1.28m M’sians suffering from schizophrenia

February 2, 2023

PETALING JAYA: About four out of every 100, or some 1.28 million Malaysians, are suffering from schizophrenia, and this does not account for those who have yet to be diagnosed, said psychiatrist Dr Chow Soon Ken. Chow, who is...

Why is IBS more common in females? – Beaufort South Carolina The Island News
Mental Illness

Why is IBS more common in females? – Beaufort South Carolina The Island News

February 1, 2023

more common in females? Experts do not fully understand what causes IBS, so they do not yet know why it is more common in females. That said, there are several theories.  Sex differences in IBS may occur due to...

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Categories

  • Anxiety (821)
  • Depression (211)
  • Meditation (356)
  • Mental Health (1,122)
  • Mental Illness (385)
  • Sound Therapy (2)
  • Stress Disorders (402)

Popular

  • Stress Level Of Americans Is Rising Rapidly In 2022, New Study Finds

    Stress Level Of Americans Is Rising Rapidly In 2022, New Study Finds

    303 shares
    Share 121 Tweet 76
  • Helpful Resources During Suicide Prevention Month 2022 – My Brain’s Not Broken

    302 shares
    Share 121 Tweet 76
  • FDA Approves Luye Pharma’s Rykindo® for the Treatment of Schizophrenia and Bipolar 1 Disorder

    302 shares
    Share 121 Tweet 76
  • How Stress Affects Your Vision

    302 shares
    Share 121 Tweet 76
  • 4 signs of burnout in your teen– and how to help them through it

    302 shares
    Share 121 Tweet 76

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions

Copyright © 2022 Naturalele.com | All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Mental Health
  • Depression
  • Meditation
  • Stress Disorders
  • Anxiety
  • Mental Illness
  • Contact Us
What Are Cookies
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT