Panic Attacks: Is It Your Personality or Environmental Conditions That Lay the Groundwork?

If your friends, family, or problems at work are occupying your mind to a disturbing degree, and you have had difficulty controlling your fears and worries for at least 6 months, you may be experiencing an anxiety disorder.

We spoke with a Specialist Psychologist from the Psychology Department of Hisar Hospital Intercontinental about panic attacks, which are believed to put life in danger and are generally attributed to a biological cause, but are in fact a purely psychological condition.

Why do panic attacks occur?

The most common type of anxiety: Panic attack

Specialist Psychologist Yahşi, who explained that a panic attack is a type of anxiety disorder and that the person cannot control the distress and restlessness experienced during this process, said: ‘Panic attacks generally occur suddenly. People experiencing an attack very often believe they will be harmed during it. In fact, no one who experiences a panic attack suffers physical harm; people do not faint or die because of a panic attack. Panic is a type of anxiety. All of us have the possibility of experiencing a panic attack.

Studies have shown that a separation during childhood or the loss of a family member are situations that can trigger panic attacks. In addition, we generally see that people who are anxious and prone to worry fall into the group that experiences panic attacks.

Moreover, hearing about a negative event that has been experienced can increase a person’s concern that they too will experience negative things. In people who have recently experienced an illness or loss in their surroundings, this disorder can be triggered. Interpreting bodily signs as the harbinger of a catastrophe can lead to the person experiencing recurrent panic episodes.

Although it varies from person to person, symptoms experienced during panic episodes can include: a feeling of breathlessness to a degree that greatly disturbs the person, chest pain, palpitations, weakness, trembling of the hands and legs, hot flushes or chills, sweating, numbness of the hands and feet, dizziness, and a feeling of faintness.

If a panic attack is specific to a situation, that is, if it is an attack accompanied by a thought of danger arising from the circumstances at that moment, it may be a single attack that does not recur and therefore may not require treatment. However, panic attacks that occur without being linked to any particular situation usually require treatment, because they present as a problem that can seriously impair the person’s quality of life. 10% of people have at least one panic attack, and 3% of these experience recurrent attacks.’ he said.

You have had an attack. And then?

After attacks, the person’s attention to their own body increases. Many things that they previously did not pay attention to in their body become threats for that person. Because attention is concentrated on the body, even the slightest change in the body tends to be interpreted negatively, it becomes difficult to escape from anxiety, and the belief that there is a real physiological disorder grows stronger.

People who experience panic attacks usually develop certain behaviors to protect themselves from panic attacks. For example, a person who believes they have a cardiac problem avoids climbing and descending stairs, and because they avoid it, their belief in their problem is strengthened. As long as they do not get the chance to test this belief, the avoidance of stair climbing becomes habitual and the person’s life becomes restricted and more difficult. Without realizing it, the person can get caught in a cycle that reinforces and perpetuates their disorder. In fact, the more a person experiencing panic attacks confronts the situations in which their attacks occur, the smaller the disorder becomes. Apart from treatment, which responds well to psychotherapy, a person experiencing this disorder can somewhat ease it by identifying the behaviors they avoid because of their attacks and confronting the things that restrict their life.

Having a Panic Attack Should Not Mean Being Freed from Your Responsibilities!

It is good if the people around the person do not behave in a way that makes their tasks easier or relieves them of their responsibilities because of the panic attacks they experience. They can give the person small responsibilities to the extent possible and help them cope with the attack. The average duration of attacks is about 20 minutes, and they follow a gradually decreasing curve. Those around the person who remain calm can support the person experiencing an attack by emphasizing that this situation is temporary.

Do people with panic attacks have to take medication? Is treatment without medication possible?

In people with panic attack disorder, drug treatment and psychotherapy can be used separately or together. This varies according to the person and the history of the disorder. Scientific studies show that this disorder responds well to both medication and psychotherapy. Treatment with or without medication is possible, in line with the person’s needs and wishes.