Panic attacks are common in women. Panic attacks are classified under the category of anxiety related disorders.
Panic attacks can occur in conjunction with other psychiatric disorders like generalized anxiety disorder, post traumatic stress disorder, and panic disorder. Signs and symptoms of a panic attack are:
- Shortness of breath
- Angina or chest pains
- Dizziness
- Heart palpitations
- Unsteadiness
- Sweating
- Trembling
- Faintness
- Chills
- Thoughts of dying
Panic attacks may diminish on their own, or it may be necessary to seek professional assistance to find relief from symptoms. Behavioral, cognitive, and psychotherapy sessions with a qualified mental health professional may be useful in acquiring coping skills to alleviate symptoms associated with a panic attack. Exposure therapy is often used by mental health professionals to diminish panic attacks. This therapy entails the exposure of a victim of panic attacks to situations and places that may intentionally provoke an attack in order to develop a higher level of resistance to anxiety in situations where the sufferer is experiencing the attacks.
Anti anxiety drugs are usually prescribed to treat the symptoms of panic attacks and other related anxiety disorders. Psychiatrists, psychologists, and doctors are able to diagnose and properly treat panic attacks. Benzodiazepines are a commonly used class of drug prescribed by medical professionals to treat the sometimes unbearable symptoms of panic attacks.
Panic attacks occur in at-least one third of the total population at one time or another. Panic attacks can occur in any place the sufferer feels uncomfortable. It is important that victims of frequent panic attacks avoid places that may trigger symptoms of a panic attack in order to prevent their reoccurrence.
Panic attacks are usually not considered life threatening, but to the individual experiencing them they can be terrifying. People who frequently have panic attacks may feel that they are losing control of themselves or the world around them. Empathy, compassion, and understanding along with kind words of encouragement from others, may be all that is needed by sufferers to overcome attacks.
