According to medical forecasts, by 2030, one in three people worldwide will periodically or constantly suffer from panic attacks. It’s frightening, but fortunately, not fatal. But in most cases, this condition is as unpredictable as a huge jackpot at the Cookie Casino. That’s why you should get prepared for it. How can you distinguish a panic attack from a heart attack, and what should you do if it happens to you?
Signs of a Panic Attack and What It Can Be Mistaken For
People who have never experienced a panic attack and are unfamiliar with its symptoms might mistake it for a hysterical fit, nervous breakdown, or anxiety attack. However, there is a list of signs that can help you understand that it’s a panic attack:
- A sudden feeling of anxiety that quickly escalates into fear, then into panic, and finally into an uncontrollable fear of death. Meanwhile, there is no external danger.
- A rapid heartbeat: the heart beats so fast that it feels like it’s about to burst.
- Difficulty breathing, to the point where the person starts to feel like they are suffocating.
- Dizziness, numbness in the hands and feet.
- A pre-fainting state.
- A sense of unreality and tunnel vision — losing peripheral vision, where the world narrows down to a point, as if looking through a telescope.
Panic attacks can last from a few minutes to half an hour. They pass on their own but are quite distressing. Those who experience a panic attack for the first time often mistake it for a heart attack.
There is indeed a similarity to a heart attack, but there are also significant differences. For example, a panic attack can occur out of the blue, at any time, including at rest or even right after waking up. A heart attack usually starts after intense physical exertion or severe emotional stress. Panic attacks are also similar to a hypertensive crisis, but during a crisis, the condition worsens with each passing minute, and the symptoms intensify, whereas with a panic attack, the condition gradually stabilizes. If you suspect that it’s not a panic attack but something related to your heart, immediately call an ambulance.
Mechanisms of a Panic Attack
Chronic stress and panic attacks are two links in the same chain. Anxiety, in general, can be considered the backdrop of modern life, so it’s not surprising that even mentally stable people sometimes have their nerves fail. The human body is both strong and fragile. It can withstand tension for months, then suddenly “break” in an instant.
Evolutionary reflexes that helped our ancestors survive are triggered automatically — fight or flight. The body mobilizes and prepares for action: adrenaline is released, the heart starts beating faster, and blood rushes through the veins. However, a modern person, whose nervous system has malfunctioned, has no one to run from, nor anyone to fight. The third reflex remains — freeze. But in a frozen state, when there is no opportunity to release emotions and expend physical energy, the evolutionary mechanism turns into torture: the person is overwhelmed by a panic attack, with no escape. Scientists suggest that panic attacks may be linked not only to stress but also to heredity, mental illness, a deficiency of B vitamins, and low ferritin levels. Women are twice as likely to suffer from panic attacks as men.
What to Do If You Have a Panic Attack: Advice from a Psychologist
As paradoxical as it may sound, the main thing during a panic attack is not to panic. From a physiological point of view, a panic attack is harmless to the body. You may feel like you are dying, like you are about to suffocate, like your heart is going to leap out of your chest, but this is just a strong reaction of the nervous system. You won’t die. And this is something you must always remember.
Every person prone to panic attacks eventually develops their own tactics to calm down and regain composure. However, there are also universal methods:
- If a panic attack catches you in a public place, try to find a quiet corner to be away from everyone.
- Exhale. Literally. Long breaths (count to four) and slow exhalations (count to seven or eight) calm the heartbeat, thereby reducing adrenaline-induced excitement.
- Feel a point of support. For example, lean your back against a wall. Or, if possible, take off your shoes and stand barefoot, imagining how roots grow from your feet, firmly connecting you to the ground.
- Look around and out loud name five objects that catch your eye: “This is a chair, it’s wooden. This is a ficus, it has green leaves…”
- Listen and pick out three sounds. Name them out loud: “The clock is ticking. The air conditioner is humming. The neighbor upstairs is walking.”
- If you have perfume, essential oil, or hand cream with you, take it out and smell it.
- Get some tactile sensations: rub your palms against a rough wall, run your fingers along a smooth railing, tightly grip your handbag strap…
- Call a loved one: a phone conversation will distract you from the panic and remind you that you’re not alone.
It might seem logical to follow the instinct of your ancestors and immediately go for a run or hit a punching bag, but this is irrelevant and even harmful if the panic attack has already started. Physical exercises should be preventive measures.
