panic attacks misunderstood ....

[Anonymous]

I dont understand the kinds of descriptions of panic attacks. For instance i found this on a certain health site:

"The immediate danger with panic disorder is that it can often lead to a phobia. That's because once you've suffered a panic attack, you may start to avoid situations like the one you were in when the attack occurred"

I dont understand this characterization of a typical person who has panic attacks. I have panic attacks that just happen, and I dont develop a fear of a place or fall into habits of avoidance of certain situations. I dont think
this is panic attacks, I think those are fears; panic attacks dont cause them, does anyone else who experiences them feel this type of description of the disorder is ridiculous?

I was looking through some sites to see if I could find any info on negative health effects of panic attacks and I kept on reading that same statement, really annoying actually.

 

[mojo]

I'm the same way. I don't feel any fear (other than the sence of dread that comes with the attack) or willingness to avoid social situations. I'm not even sure this is really a panic attack as the doctor has said, it feels like the onset of a heart attack.

 

[Crimefish]

Then you have panic attacks but not panic disorder. They're two different things.

 

[scaredlittlegirl]

i get very scared after one... i have a lot of troule even getting into a car now. i also avoided the dark and being home alone. i only developed these fears after an attack. maybe you are just lucky.

 

[Jamie2006]

Panic attacks can and very often do lead to phobias. If you have one, for example, in the mall, you may well avoid going to the mall. You may, in fact, become agoraphobic. If you have one while driving, you may develop a fear of driving. I've never heard of a panic attack that didn't involve some sort of fear - fear drives the panic, although the panic may have originally started because of a chemical reason. I am very sensitive to caffeine, and I get panic attacks from drinking too much coffee. I feel like I'm going to die, and then I begin to fear that I am. Avoiding caffeine has, of course, diminished the occurrence of caffeine-induced panic attacks. I have other triggers, however, but I've managed to overcome serious panic disorder.

 

[Babydoll07]

.....

I get very very frightened when I have them!! I used to drink loads and loads of water to try and calm myself down but now I dont do that because I heard somewhere that drinking too much water can cause a heart attack because of a sodium imbalance in your blood!! I do find that I avoid certain situations and I find being in a bus on my own brings on one or being in bedroom at night(dont know why!!) Other times they do just come on out of know where but I do believe there is always a trigger for it! I hate having one in public because people give me wierd looks and probably think Im on drugs or something!!! I even fainted once while I was having one and broke my nose coz I fell flat on my face....now I have scars on my face and I hate them!!! I used never be paranoid about anything but now before I do anything or see someone else do things I find myself thinking about the worst situation that could come out of it

 

[phoenix1]

I think its mostly just what your mind associates with the intense panic. Many people's minds look for a reason behind the panic and they will associate the place, what they are wearing and things like that. Which will create the phobias that the websites talk about. Other people though wont associate anything but the panic itself, which will just create a fear of panic and nothing else really.

 

[Babydoll07]

I think its mostly just what your mind associates with the intense panic. Many people's minds look for a reason behind the panic and they will associate the place, what they are wearing and things like that. Which will create the phobias that the websites talk about. Other people though wont associate anything but the panic itself, which will just create a fear of panic and nothing else really.

Yeah, I do know that if I smoke a joint Ill have a panic attack but its only because Im thinking I will beacuse if I smoke when Im drinking I dont care so I wont get one but with me getting them on buses..it was only recently I realised how often i got them on buses...I once saw a bus driver having a heart attack and dying on one so that could propbably play a part....!!

 

[Edon1987]

my biggest trigger is deja vu.

since during my first panic attack, i didnt realize it was a panic attack, i thought i learned the meaning of life and figured out exactly how the future would go down. now deja vu realy puts me in the shitter and i have to think to myself "its not true, and even if it is oh well ill let it play thru" the only bad part is i know its going to come back down to that day, again ill relive it. . . so shitty

but yea, i deffinatly have phobias now, i stopped smoking weed out of fear, i cut my hair and moved outa my house to try and make things different. it sucks having to work a shitty job while having to deal with this but i suppose im not the first.