Panic attacks
Panic attacks occur when your body experiences a rush of intense psychological and physical symptoms.
What are panic attacks?
Individual may feel an overwhelming sense of fear, apprehension, and anxiety as well as physical symptoms and causes many reactions in your body including:
- Racing or pounding heartbeat
- Feeling faint, dizzy or lightheaded
- Feeling Sick
- Shaking
- Pains in your chest
- Struggling to breath
- Feeling disconnected from self
- Weak legs
Some people that experience more than one panic attack and experience them frequently are suffering from something called a panic disorder. A panic disorder is recognised by frequent panic attacks, changes in behaviour and persistent anxiety.
Living with the threat of panic attacks can be extremely debilitating but is certainly treatable.
Different types of panic disorders
After experiencing one panic attack it can leave a lasting effect. If you experience frequent panic attacks, then it can take a toll on your emotions. The memory of the intense feeling and the way your body reacted at the time stays with you and then starts to negatively impact your self-esteem and confidence and disrupt your daily life. This can lead to different types of panic disorders:
Instead of feeling relaxed and like yourself in between your panic attacks you are constantly worried and fearful about when the next panic attack will come.
This is where you begin to avoid certain situations or even places that have brought on your panic attacks in the past. Phobic avoidance at its extreme can be known as agoraphobia.
A fear of being in a place and having a panic attack and not being able to escape therefore feeling embarrassed or a fear of being somewhere where you were unable to get help. This leads to you avoiding certain places or situations or social gatherings and you may only feel safe when you are in your own home.
When do panic attacks happen?
A panic attack can happen out of the blue and be unexpected due to having no trigger. They can occur as a one-time occurrence, but people tend to experience more than one episode. For some people, it can be a repeat situation (such as public speaking or being in a busy environment) that can bring on a panic attack. It is normally a situation that brings on the body’s fight or flight reaction.
Most panic attacks last between 5 to 20 minutes and your symptoms will be worse at about 10 minutes. Occasionally, if it is lasting longer than 20 minutes you may be having another panic attack or suffering from other symptoms of anxiety.
signs of a Panic disorder and symptoms
- Frequent panic attacks
- Change in behaviour and mood
- Persistent anxiety
- Experiencing symptoms for a long period of time and frequently
- Angina pectoris
- Abdominal distress
- Hot flashes or chills
- Shallow breathing
- Feeling of impending doom
- Numbness or trembling
- Severe impact on daily life
Treatment for Panic Disorders
Living with anxiety and suffering from panic attacks can be very difficult but there are treatments that can help yourself, or a loved one, feel better.
Lots of us can suffer from sudden feelings of being overwhelmed and episodes of feeling panicked. Some of us can let these feelings go easily and deal with the situations that have caused them. For others, those feelings of panic can become too much and too hard to deal with and social anxiety can have physical effects on our body, such as panic attacks, and our mental health.
Book an appointment
All clinicians at Oxford CBT practice Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, or are Psychologists, providing evidence-based interventions and support for panic disorders and a range of other conditions for both young people and adults. If you would like more information, please visit our FAQ’s page or get in touch via our online contact form or call us on 01865 920077.
Clinicians who specialize in treating Panic Attacks
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Complete screening questionnaire and we will connect you with a therapist according to your needs and requirement criteria.
