Panic Atack
One of the difficulties of dealing with a panic atack is that you don’t know when it is going to strike! It comes upon you like a wave of fear, and where once all felt calm, suddenly you can feel an enormous sense of fear and trepidation and not really be sure what to do next. The most common time period for a panic atack to last is 30 minutes, but it can be much longer. What tend to happen is that the feeling of dread will descend on a sufferer incredibly quickly, stick around for around half an hour and then slowly lift like a fog clearing.
When the panic attack lasts for longer than what is typically happen is that a whole series of panic attacks are being linked together. Sort of like a causal chain, and each one interacts acts and builds on the others. This can be very frightening to experience, and it is a far from uncommon occurrence to hear of people telephoning the emergency services the first time that they have a panic atack, because they think they are having the first symptoms of a heart attack or a stroke.
The Causes of Panic Atacks
In any case, when it does strike down on someone then it is at the very least unexpected. There are many different causes for the sudden occurrence of panic attacks and general anxiety type disorders. Some of these are physical factors related to the individual biochemistry of the person in question, whilst others are societal factors involving that persons interactions with other members of the community. There are also factors of heredity in play, because it is a little known fact that panic atacks actually runs in some families in the same way as some families are more susceptible to diabetes or heart attacks. It is by no means a deciding factor most of the time, but for the families that are susceptible it can play a telling role.
When looking into ways to cure panic atacks you need to also consider the medications that you are currently taking. There are actually many very common medications that have been clinically demonstrated to bring on panic attacks in certain susceptible individuals, and although this by no means forms the bulk of sufferers, it is a significant enough proportion that it is impossible to avoid it.
The kind of lifestyle that you lead can also be contributory to the prevalence in your life to get a panic atack. And some areas to watch out for here are if you suddenly come off anti-depression medication, or if you increase your consumption of alcohol. Alcohol is actually a depressant, and so if you are already feeling low then it really doesn’t serve you well to consume it. The best advice if you are suffering from panic attacks and want to start to deal with it, is to elimate the consumption of alcohol entirely. This may seem a little drastic, but in some people this can be a big contributing factor, so it is well worth considering.
The bottom line is that having a panic atack is a frightening experience, and that you should take immediate steps to get the situation under control.