home Drugs Panic attacks: causes and treatment. Panic attacks - why they are dangerous, symptoms, causes and treatment What are panic attacks, symptoms and signs

Panic attacks: causes and treatment. Panic attacks - why they are dangerous, symptoms, causes and treatment What are panic attacks, symptoms and signs

Panic attacks, a feeling of unmotivated anxiety and fear, always occur unexpectedly for the patient. Seizures prevent a person from living, due to the fact that at such moments he does not realize the reality of what is happening and cannot adequately assess the situation around him.

All this can become a threat to human life and health. For this reason, you need to know how to stop an attack and get rid of panic attacks once and for all.

Interesting: panic attacks in women are observed 2 times more often than in men.

Seizure symptoms

The occurrence of panic attacks and fear is associated with disruptions in the respiratory processes and the functioning of the cardiovascular system. A group of the most common symptoms is identified. If at least 3 of them are present, a diagnosis can be made:

It becomes difficult to speak and there is a sore throat.
"Cold sweat.
Shortness of breath, difficulty breathing.
Chest pain.
Chills or fever.
Dizziness, feeling of tightness in the temples.
Losing control of yourself.
Numbness of the limbs.
Nausea.
Stomach ache.
Anxiety and unreasonable fear.

From the outside, other symptoms of panic attacks may be noticeable:

Tremor of the limbs.
Pale skin.
The patient's inability to hold his gaze on one object.
Rash, uncontrollable actions.
Confused speech, the patient cannot express his thoughts.
Frequent shallow breathing.

The picture shows the main symptoms

The development of symptoms reaches its climax within a few minutes. During this, all manifestations of a panic attack increase. They pass in 30-40 minutes on their own, but the feeling of fear does not disappear, for this reason the patient needs to fight the disease.

Causes

Panic attacks may occur for the following reasons:

Heredity. If someone in the family has had panic attacks, the disease is detected in other family members with a 70% probability.
Environment, weather. The release of waste into the air and rivers does not benefit people at all. In cloudy and rainy weather, the likelihood of a panic attack increases several times.
Constant stress. Scientists have proven that long-term psychological impact on a person causes the occurrence of mental disorders (especially if the person is very susceptible).
Post-traumatic syndrome. Often occurs with head injuries. The manifestation of panic attacks is usually associated with the fear of a repetition of a catastrophe or accident, fear of pain, or death.
Consequences of serious illnesses. If the disease affects the central nervous system (CNS), the disease is observed in 40% of cases.
Depression. Against the background of depressive states, a person’s psychological state is weakened, so the patient experiences fear and severe anxiety for no reason.
Alcoholism, drug addiction. When using alcohol and drugs, a person faces serious damage to the central nervous system and brain. For this reason, the occurrence of panic attacks is guaranteed in 30% of registered cases.
Heart diseases. If the heart does not pump blood well, it is not enriched with oxygen to the required extent, and therefore the lungs lose the required amount of carbon dioxide - so-called hyperventilation of the lungs occurs, which provokes panic.

When identifying the causes of a disease in a medical facility, other causes are often discovered. These cases can only be determined by a specialist.

Treating panic attacks at home

The main problem that patients face when getting rid of panic attacks is fear. The patient is afraid that the attacks will be repeated with greater force. This is a strong obstacle to further treatment.

In order to get rid of the disease on your own, you need to convince yourself that the treatment will be effective. Getting rid of the fear of recurrence of attacks is the first step towards recovery.

The very goal of treatment is to reduce the frequency of panic attacks and their severity. To independently combat the disease, the following methods are used: pills, drugs, folk remedies and psychological influence. Most of the stopping of attacks is based precisely on the psychological mood of the patient. It is necessary to learn relaxation methods and proper breathing techniques in order to quickly get rid of a panic attack.

Treatment must be comprehensive. Influencing the disease with only one method is unlikely to bring the desired effect; at most in this case the attacks themselves will be alleviated.

Drug treatment

Medications are often used to relieve panic attacks. It is necessary that they be prescribed by a specialist, because medications may have side effects and contraindications.

Tranquilizers, antidepressants and antipsychotics are usually prescribed. These remedies can be useful, for example, if you need to quickly cope with a panic attack on an airplane and there is no other method available.

How to deal with panic attacks with medications

The safest drug in the treatment of panic attacks is the drug “glycine”. They drink it in a course so that it has time to accumulate in the body. It must be dissolved under the tongue. The product has a calming and relaxing effect on the body.

Folk remedies - no pills

You can get rid of the fear that accompanies panic attacks using various folk remedies:

Tincture of oregano. Pour boiling water over the chopped herb (a teaspoon). The infusion should be brewed in a mug (200-300 ml). You need to leave for about 10-5 minutes, after which you need to strain the contents of the mug. It is necessary to use the product 3-4 times a day before meals, 150 ml.

The emotional sphere of a person is rich and diverse, and the orientation of dominant emotions depends on the characteristics of the psychoneurological system, the body’s reflexes to internal and external factors and pathogens. The more stable a person’s psyche is, the more positive emotions there are in his life. However, negative reactions of the psycho-emotional sphere, such as dissatisfaction, fear, irritation and disappointment are integral human emotions. Some people experience them and successfully forget them, while for others the feeling of experienced fear returns with regular repetition, worsening the quality of life.

Panic attacks can be managed without medication.

In this article we will talk about panic, which can be not only an ordinary negative emotion, but also an indicator of serious problems in the nervous, psychological and emotional spheres of the body. Let's look at what panic attacks are, their symptoms and treatment, and why they don't bother some people and cause significant discomfort to others.

Causes of panic attacks

There is not a single person on the globe who has not experienced a feeling of fear at least once in his life. With this protective reflex, the body responds to any inexplicable, unknown, dangerous or alarming phenomenon. Most often, the feeling of fear goes away without a trace, as soon as the negative stimuli disappear, the person realizes that he is safe. Such precedents are considered an adequate reaction of the body to negative situations and are explained by the standard instinct of self-preservation, which is triggered in unforeseen conditions.

It’s another matter when fear begins to haunt a person, appearing systematically again after the situation has been experienced. Each time, such reactions of the body are often more intense, are formed unmotivated, and fear from an ordinary emotion turns into a panic attack.

Panic influxes of fear significantly worsen the quality of life of the sick person, who is afraid to have another attack, feels insecure, begins to fear for his physiological state, and sometimes even thinks that he is simply “going crazy.” Why then can some people experience stress and forget about it forever, while life returns others again and again to a previously experienced state? Despite the insufficient study of the effect of panic, scientists identify several types of reasons that cause the recurrence of panic attacks: factors of a physiological, psychological and social nature.

The causes of panic attacks of the physiological or somatic class are considered the most explainable and rational precedents. Fear of the somatic type evolves against the background of a person’s existing diseases, which are intractable or chronic illnesses. In such a situation, the patient begins to fear for his life, thoughts about his health do not leave his head, and the body, through an excess of negative emotions, defends itself with panic resistance. The most common physiological pathologies that can cause systematic panic are heart disease of a complex category, hormonal changes in the body, or uncontrolled use of medications with a large number of side effects.

Psychological reasons can also become factors in the occurrence of causeless panic. Such factors include phobias, serious mental disorders, which include paranoia or schizophrenia, and regular depression. A panic attack can also evolve against the background of a previously experienced dangerous situation that led to injury. In this case, a person develops a fear of experiencing an unpleasant precedent again, and a panic attack progresses under conditions that are at least minimally reminiscent of the experience.

Reasons of a social nature include fear of an upcoming important task, fear of failure or failure, ridicule from others. Often, panic fear against the background of social factors progresses in adolescents who are more emotional, just learning to adapt to the variability and troubles of society and idealize the opinions of their peers.

Symptoms of panic attacks

To understand that a person is haunted by panic attacks, and not ordinary fear, as a standard reaction to negative factors, it is important to know the symptoms that indicate pathology. Medicine classifies the symptoms of the disease, as well as the causes, into several types, depending on which area of the body suffers most during periods of attacks. Figuratively, the severity of the disease is divided into the following categories: mental signs, physiological consequences, hidden or camouflage symptoms. Physiological class symptoms most often appear against the background of multiple diseases. The most common symptoms of panic attacks in this category are:

On the part of the cardiac and vascular systems, they may manifest themselves as a feeling of lack of air, shortness of breath, pain in the heart region, headaches or dizziness.
Excessive sweating, which is accompanied by a feeling of heat or flashes of cold.
Discomfort from the gastrointestinal tract most often manifests itself as nausea, often with bouts of vomiting, and stool disorders.
Frequent urination.
Feeling of dry mouth.

Physiological symptoms most often appear spontaneously and disappear within a few minutes. The most common psychological signs of panic are:

Unexplained feelings of anxiety or life-threatening danger.
The desire to disappear, to hide in a secluded place.
Deformation of the perception of the surrounding world, a feeling of detachment from what is happening.
Numbness of the body, inability to move.

Such symptoms may appear against the background of a previous nervous shock or in conditions that remind a person of negative, previously experienced precedents. The most rare symptom is a camouflaged panic attack. In such situations, manifested panic can be recognized by temporary, complete or partial loss of hearing, voice or vision, impaired coordination, and convulsive states. The important point is that during such attacks a person may not feel unpleasant emotions, and the symptoms are not accompanied by ordinary fear or a feeling of danger.

If a person simultaneously exhibits more than four of the symptoms described above, then it is most likely that he has an intensified panic attack. This condition requires mandatory contact with specialists to diagnose and eliminate the problem, since, according to statistics, such attacks tend to recur with high frequency, negatively affecting the quality of life. Without rational treatment, people withdraw into themselves, try to avoid society, and sometimes they may even have suicidal thoughts.

Diagnostics

Diagnosis of any psychological and neurological disorders in medicine is based on the principle of excluding diseases that can provoke similar symptoms. Diagnosing panic attacks is no exception. Initially, the patient is sent for a variety of studies:

An electrocardiogram and ultrasound of the heart help to screen out the presence of cardiac problems or other anomalies of the heart and blood vessels.
Examination of the brain using magnetic resonance imaging allows us to exclude the presence of tumors in the head, which can similarly affect a person’s health.
Ultrasound examination of the abdominal organs can detect or exclude the presence of epigastric bleeding.

Additionally, to make a diagnosis, the patient will need to undergo examination by specialized medical specialists, as well as consult a psychiatrist in order to exclude mental illnesses.

If the above studies do not reveal specific pathologies of organs and systems, then the patient may be diagnosed with “panic attacks” under the following conditions:

The patient’s complaints correspond to the symptoms of panic fear; the patient, when characterizing the precedent, describes more than four signs characteristic of the disease.
The attack was repeated more than once.
The attack is accompanied by emotions that quickly intensify from ordinary fear to the most complex internal discomfort.
The panic reflex lasts at least ten minutes.

Based on studies of the body and anamnesis of pathology, the patient is diagnosed, and the class of panic attacks is determined, depending on which the methodology for treating the disease varies.

Classification

Medicine tends to divide panic attacks into several categories depending on their causal and situational determinism:

Spontaneous or spontaneous panic attacks are characterized by an inexplicable occurrence that does not have any dynamics or conditioning. Fear appears in a person for no reason, and can occur in a calm mode and even during sleep. A psychotherapist treats this class of illness after ruling out other pathologies in the body.
Situational panic occurs in a person under certain conditions. Most often, fear progresses when the sick person finds himself in a situation that previously existed in his life and provoked mental instability. This could, for example, be the sight of fire after experiencing a fire, fear of a confined space or, conversely, being in a crowded room. Such panic reactions are also treated by a psychotherapist, however, most often this is not preceded by an in-depth diagnosis of the body; the diagnosis is made almost immediately after the patient consults a doctor.
Conditioned situational attacks of fear are based on the processes of biological or chemical influence on the body. Most often, panic attacks progress against the background of alcohol or drug abuse, radiation exposure, unauthorized use of potent medications, and hormonal disorders in the body. In such cases, the causal relationship between the occurrence of syndromes and their dynamics can be traced, and the treatment of this type of panic is carried out by specialized specialists, some of whom have identified previous provocateurs.

Methodology for treating panic attacks

The dilemma of how to treat panic attacks is difficult not only for the average person, but also for medical luminaries. The fact is that the relationship between the psycho-emotional sphere of a person and his nervous system is not a fully studied science; it has many unproven and unexplored areas. When a person comes to a medical institution with a problem that does not imply obvious physiological abnormalities, then doctors, on the one hand, need to treat, since the symptoms indicate the presence of a disease, on the other hand, there is nothing to treat, because all organs function normally.

In this situation and psychotherapists come to the rescue, which help a person, using special techniques, to plunge into his inner world, understand the nature of fear, teach him to live with it, or contribute to its awareness and overcoming.

Psychotherapeutic practice provides the following techniques to combat panic fears:

Individual conversations with the goal of establishing psycho-emotional contact with the patient and identifying the cause of his fears.
Hypnosis of various types is used by psychotherapists to return a person to a situation that provoked stress and to find options for solving this problem.
Including the patient in group classes where people with identical fears meet. With the help of special techniques and exercises, patients collectively, under the guidance of a doctor, learn to cope with panic situations, adapt, and correctly perceive the inner world and external factors.

Sometimes doctors use drug therapy in parallel with psychological tactics. There is no single cure for panic attacks in nature, so the patient may be prescribed medications whose effects are aimed at eliminating the symptoms of fear. Most often, in order to get rid of panic attacks, sedatives are prescribed that stabilize the functioning of the nervous system; in more complex situations, the patient may be prescribed tranquilizers or antidepressants that reduce anxiety and block the progression of attacks.

It is important to understand that it is strictly forbidden to prescribe these categories of drugs yourself, as they have a lot of adverse reactions, and with the wrong dosage they will only worsen your health condition.

In addition, when taking tranquilizers or antidepressants, it is important to adhere to the diet recommended by doctors, and also categorically avoid alcohol, which can provoke relapses of the pathology. A visit to a psychotherapist, following the doctor’s recommendations, with the parallel use of medications that block attacks, can stabilize the activity of a person’s psycho-emotional sphere and reduce the number of occurrences of new attacks.

Many people who suffer from the disease ask their doctor whether it is possible to get rid of panic attacks forever? No doctor can give a definite answer to this question. In most cases, everything depends not on the doctor, even if he has extensive experience working with such pathologies, but on the patient himself. Only the patient’s great desire to overcome panic and the desire for recovery can guarantee his complete relief from the problem. In addition, it is important for the patient to independently work on himself and his psyche, maintain a healthy lifestyle in order to achieve the desired results.

How to cope with panic attacks on your own?

A specialist can help you overcome the outbreak of a panic attack that happened in the doctor’s office, however, as practice shows, such precedents most often arise spontaneously when you do not expect them. Most often in such situations there is no qualified psychotherapist nearby. To completely eradicate unexplained attacks of fear, it is important to understand how to deal with panic attacks on your own.

To do this, you need to be psychologically and morally prepared for the next attack, adequately understand that a panic attack is not a fatal precedent, it does not pose a serious threat. During the onset of a panic attack, the patient perceives everything that happens to him and can control his actions, therefore his correct reaction to fear can block the further development of the attack.

The main rule for stabilizing your condition is maintaining external and internal peace. How to do this when fear fills the entire body? First of all, you need to take a comfortable position; if possible, it is advisable to lie down; if this option is not available, you can simply sit down more comfortably. Next, you need to try to relax your body and take several long, deep breaths.

The procedure of rinsing your face, hands and neck with cool water will help overcome panic attacks. You can also drink a small amount of cool, sweetened water. Such procedures quickly return a person to reality. It helps to overcome fear on your own in the initial stages by switching your attention to any surrounding objects: for this purpose, you can simply start counting the buttons on your clothes or silently reciting a verse you have learned by heart.

In order to prevent new attacks, you can master meditation techniques, start playing sports and monitor your daily routine, in particular, devote enough time to rest, go to bed at the same time, no later than ten o’clock in the evening.

Positive emotions have a beneficial effect on the body and displace negative psychological states. Pleasant communication is an excellent alternative for people who are prone to attacks of fear, an opportunity to overcome panic and the loneliness that provokes it.

Rational breathing during an attack helps to successfully overcome the oncoming fear. From a physiological point of view, this fact is explained by the fact that when fear intensifies, a person begins to breathe hastily, this provokes hyperventilation of the lungs, which results in oxygen starvation, which causes an increase in anxiety. Often the onset of an attack makes itself felt by the symptoms of a lump in the throat, difficulty breathing, and shortness of breath. In the first few minutes, a person can control his behavior, so it is important to know what to do during a panic attack in order to begin to take effective measures and prevent loss of self-control.

The most popular and effective breathing exercises that help overcome growing panic are:

Lie down on a horizontal hard surface, place your hands on your stomach to more clearly feel the periods of air entering and exiting. It is important to focus on each inhalation and exhalation. We must try to take deep, long breaths and exhales of the same duration. Full, slow inhalations and exhalations help restore normal heart rhythm, which has a positive effect on reducing fear.
You can complicate the task by taking deep breaths while counting internally to four, and slowly exhaling while counting back from four to one.
Next task: learn to synchronize breathing and heart rhythm. To do this, you need to feel your pulse, take a leisurely breath during the first four heartbeats, and the next four beats - a long, complete exhalation. Thus, a person begins to hear his body, regulate not only breathing, but also heartbeat, reducing the feeling of fear.

During breathing exercises it is important to breathe with your stomach, and not the chest - this way the body is saturated with oxygen faster, and fear leaves the person. In addition, it is useful to practice this breathing practice not only at the onset of an attack, but also as a daily exercise in order to improve the cardiovascular and nervous systems.

Phytotherapy

The question of how to deal with panic attacks also has an answer to herbal medicine as a separate branch of modern pharmacology. This treatment method is based on taking decoctions of healing herbs that have a beneficial effect on the nervous system, preventing the occurrence of panic attacks. The most popular and effective herbs are mint and lemon balm, as well as linden inflorescences. They can be taken either in the form of single-component infusions or in combination with other medicinal herbs.

The following recipes are most effective:

Linden flowers in the size of one spoon should be poured with a glass of boiling water and left for ten minutes. You can drink it with honey, no more than three times a day.
Mix fifty grams of lemon balm, lavender flowers, valerian and hawthorn fruits with chamomile flowers and twenty grams of angelica root. Four tablespoons of the resulting herbal mixture should be poured with a liter of boiling water and left to brew for a few minutes. Drink two hundred grams, twice a day.
Mix linden, lemon balm and hawthorn in equivalent proportions. Pour a glass of boiling water over a spoonful of herbal mixture and let it brew. Drink the prepared drug three times a day.
Mix chamomile, cumin seeds, marjoram and mint leaves. To prepare the drink, you need to take a spoonful of the herbal mixture in a glass of boiling water. The prepared potion should be consumed before meals, half a glass.

The phytotherapeutic treatment cycle must last at least one month to achieve the required effectiveness. Despite the relative safety of herbal treatment, before using decoctions and infusions, you must first consult your doctor. Some herbs may not be combined with prescribed medications.

Emotional help

Science has proven that an emotionally stable person will almost never be hostage to fear and panic. However, modern life is structured in such a way that not everyone can boast of an excellent emotional state and psychoneurological stability. How to calm down during a panic attack, when the brain is consumed by surging negative emotions, how to force them out of your head?

There is no clear technique for training the emotional sphere or getting out of the current situation. Some doctors recommend reassuring yourself that it is harmless and will pass soon, while others advise accepting and realizing a panic attack, thus, having experienced emotional stress, learning not to be afraid of it anymore.

As for the emotional support of the patient from relatives or others, the situation here is more clear. The patient must be supported with pleasant words, be close, and under no circumstances should you shout or escalate the situation. You need to tell him something pleasant, try to redirect his attention, resurrect pleasant moments in his memory, try to make him smile.

Folk remedies

Since fear and panic manifest themselves against the backdrop of somatic and psychological changes in the body, most often people who are subject to regular attacks are ashamed to consult a doctor and consider such precedents to be a sign of their inferiority, which is difficult for even doctors to say. This perception of the problem forces patients to look for options on how to get rid of panic attacks using traditional means on their own.

Despite its proven effectiveness in curing many health problems, it is almost impossible to cope with panic attacks using them alone. Of course, you can drink herbal decoctions or infusions, calming the nervous system, learn proper breathing techniques on your own, regulate your daily routine, take baths with herbs that have a positive effect on the human nervous system. However, in a situation with panic attacks, such methods may not be enough, since the problem of panic attacks may be hidden in a person’s deep subconscious, and only a qualified specialist can help to get it, understand it and perceive it adequately.

Let's sum it up

The modern rhythm of life and an unstable socio-economic situation are often the reasons for the development of psycho-emotional instability in a person, against the background of which panic attacks can evolve. Panic attacks are considered pathologies that are harmless to human life. Despite this, the disease requires mandatory treatment, as it tends to significantly worsen the quality of life, affecting all areas of life. The sooner you contact a psychotherapist, the easier it will be to cope with attacks and prevent their relapses.

Urbanization, technological progress, and huge flows of information impose a rhythm and lifestyle that causes diseases such as panic attack or anxiety disorder.

A person is not always able to independently recognize the symptoms and begin treatment on time. One of the features of this disease is an unexpected feeling of panic fear, which cannot be explained by objective reasons.

The processes that occur in the body during a panic attack are identical to those that occur during a real threat to life. The brain receives a signal of danger and a large amount of adrenaline, the hormone responsible for stress, is released. Under its influence, the body is mobilized to survive in extreme conditions.

During a panic attack, a person finds himself in a conflict: he experiences a feeling of fear and physical symptoms, but there is no danger or threat.

Disoriented by such a discrepancy, the patient concentrates all his attention on internal sensations, increasing the level of anxiety. In this case, a cyclical pattern is observed: the higher the level of emotional stress, the more active the physiological processes that provoke this state. The attack ends as suddenly as it begins.

Panic attacks have a destructive impact on a person’s quality of life and personality, as they are a source of causeless, uncontrollable, severe stress.

There are several theories and hypotheses that explain the nature of panic attacks. Moreover, every assumption is correct. But, taking into account the individual characteristics of the physiology and psyche of any person, genetic and personality differences, the conclusion arises that attacks of irrational fear are based on the influence of a combination of reasons.

Catecholamine hypothesis

The catecholamine hypothesis is based on the idea of a hormonal imbalance in the patient’s body. It has been experimentally proven that when the level of adrenaline, a hormone of the catecholamine group, increases in the blood, the vegetative-vascular system mobilizes the body to adapt to extreme external conditions.

This explains the physiological sensations during attacks and causes emotional stress, increasing anxiety levels.

Improper functioning of the adrenal glands, which produce adrenaline, provokes unmotivated and unpredictable attacks of physical ailments, and, as a result, panic attacks.

Genetic hypothesis

Scientific observations have revealed a pattern in the genetic inheritance of the disease. The likelihood of panic attacks increases to 50% in cases of close relationship with a person suffering from this disorder. The disease encoded in genes is activated under favorable conditions.

Psychoanalytic theory

Psychoanalysts suggest that the basis of panic attacks is hidden tension accumulated by suppressing one’s own desires. The inability to realize desires due to danger or unacceptability in society leads to internal conflict.

And unspent sexual energy has a depressing effect on the emotional state. As a result of psychological overload, a feeling of anxiety appears. At the highest point of tension, anxiety is transformed into a feeling of fear, provoking panic attacks.

Behavioral theory

Behavioral theory explains the nature of panic attacks from the point of view of the acquisition and consolidation of a conditioned reflex. After severe stress, associative connections arise in the memory between the feeling of fear and an external circumstance, which can be very conditional.

Subsequently, the reflex is consolidated: a person encounters a stimulus in everyday life, an association is triggered, and an attack of irrational fear occurs.

For particularly impressionable people, the fact of experiencing stress may be absent. To form an attack, only slight deviations from the usual state of health in a new environment or situations that cause uncertainty.

Physical ailment caused by natural causes (hidden disease, poorly ventilated room), but at the moment of experiences caused by the current situation (flying on an airplane or a large crowd of people around), is associated with external conditions and far-fetched fears.

The first attack has nothing to do with a panic attack, and only creates the conditions for it. In the future, under similar circumstances, an attack of fear will arise reflexively, reliably cementing such a reaction in behavior.

Cognitive theory

According to cognitive theory, panic attacks occur under the pressure of one’s own negative thoughts and attitudes. Any ailment is considered by the patient as one of the symptoms of a serious, incurable disease. By developing these depressing thoughts, a person makes the situation loop.

A premature and unreasonably far-fetched diagnosis stimulates the imagination.

Mentally imagining prospects creates anxiety and fear. As a result, the level of adrenaline in the blood increases, triggering a panic attack mechanism. With each attack, it seems to the person that his (fictitious) disease is progressing or killing him.

These sensations are reinforced by the fact that physical symptoms directly depend on the psychological state and intensify along with the feeling of fear.

Stages of development of a panic attack

The duration of the attack ranges from 10 to 30 minutes. In rare cases, a panic attack lasts more than an hour. Often, the occurrence of an attack is unpredictable: when faced with an irritant (or conditions that provoke an attack), the body’s reaction is instantaneous.

Stages of development:

Associative memory is triggered and the brain receives a signal of danger. A feeling of anxiety appears.
At the same time, the adrenal glands secrete large amounts of adrenaline.
Under its influence, the blood vessels of the skin and mucous membranes narrow and the blood vessels of the brain dilate. These changes lead to sudden surges in pressure. The skin turns pale.
Symptoms of tachycardia appear. There is a feeling of suffocation and breathing quickens.
Due to an excess of oxygen in the blood and a deficiency of carbon dioxide, dizziness and numbness of the limbs begin.
There is an urge to go to the toilet, nausea, and vomiting.
Adrenaline stimulates the nervous system. Absent-mindedness, a feeling of disorientation and derealization appear.
Mental tension and anxiety arise, fear prevails over all emotions.
Negative emotions provoke an increase in the level of adrenaline in the blood, which intensifies symptoms.

In rare cases, during a panic attack, a person loses consciousness. There are also cases when an attack is accompanied by convulsions resembling epilepsy. Panic attacks, its symptoms and treatment in each individual case are very individual and depend on the characteristics of the person.

In some cases, the patient is not able to independently recognize the disorder. And symptomatic treatment, as a rule, does not produce results. It is important to understand that solving the problem requires an integrated approach consisting of medications and psychotherapy. If left untreated, panic attacks become a generalized anxiety disorder.

Causes of panic attacks

The causes of panic attacks depend on the lifestyle, physical and mental characteristics of a person. Favorable conditions for an attack are stress, chronic diseases, phobias and other similar conditions that have a depressing effect.

All causes that provoke panic attacks can be divided into three categories: somatic, mental and social.

Somatic (bodily) diseases

Acute or chronic forms of diseases, as well as changes in hormonal levels lead to psychological discomfort. The slightest deterioration in well-being provokes anxiety and fear. In combination with the characteristics of the underlying disease or condition, emotional experiences take the form of panic attacks. Increased sweating, shortness of breath, and tachycardia are observed.

At the same time, the physical symptoms of attacks are felt stronger than the emotional ones, which fade into the background and seem natural with such ailments. Among somatic diseases, heart disease and thyroid disease are especially prominent. As well as hormone-dependent physiological conditions: pregnancy, premenstrual syndrome, menopause.

Symptoms of panic attacks in the treatment of alcoholism and drug addiction are more common due to the use of medications that stimulate the nervous system. Steroid medications used for asthma should be used with caution.

Mental illness

Prolonged depression, phobias, and stress are the most favorable conditions for the appearance of panic attacks. Irrational fear may be based on claustrophobia or neurasthenia, on memories of a past disaster or obsessive suspicion.

In this case, it is very difficult to establish the boundary between a panic attack and its cause. Due to similar symptoms, there are very often cases where a panic attack becomes the cause of a nervous disorder (depression, schizophrenia).

Social reasons

The rhythm of life in large cities and large volumes of information create conditions for chronic stress. Children and adolescents are especially susceptible to borderline emotional states.

Lack of proper rest and constant emotional stress, responsibility and high demands lead to the fact that the child’s immature nervous system cannot stand it, and ordinary experiences become fears.

An attack can be triggered by problems in relationships with peers, upcoming exams, or fear of punishment.

Systematic panic attacks in children can cause the development of neuralgic disorders and diseases such as asthma or enuresis, complicating the treatment of attacks and depressing the emotional state even more.

Risk factors

Risk factors include conditions that reduce stress resistance:

Bad and destructive habits. Alcohol, smoking, and drugs are strong depressants and cause irreparable damage to health and immunity. A significant portion of primary panic attacks are triggered by withdrawal symptoms.
Passive lifestyle. Lack of physical activity leads to the accumulation of emotional stress. Weak muscles become one of the causes of health problems and the appearance of chronic hidden diseases.
Weak socialization. Conflicts, obvious or suppressed, lead to dissatisfaction with the outside world and become a cause of nervous tension.
Lack of proper rest. Short, superficial and irregular sleep is not able to relieve the nervous system after a hard, busy day. Fatigue and irritability from lack of sleep use up the body's reserves faster than any obvious stress, leading to nervous exhaustion.

In addition to external risk factors, one should remember the individuality of each person. The more labile a person is, the higher the likelihood of a panic attack. While a stable, mentally flexible person may never encounter an attack of irrational fear due to the body’s high stress resistance and defense mechanisms.

How the attack manifests itself

Panic attacks, the symptoms and treatment of which are very individual, depend on the mental and physical characteristics of the person. People who are strong-willed and disciplined can suppress anxiety attacks during the day and face them at night. The reasons that provoked the attack directly affect the manifestation of the attack.

In the presence of serious somatic diseases, physical symptoms are felt more strongly: dizziness, lack of oxygen, nausea and other conditions. Mental symptoms are more acutely experienced during panic attacks provoked by social causes or mental illness.
Mental symptoms

The most common symptoms related to the nervous system are:

Physical symptoms of attack

The physical symptoms of panic attacks are caused by the effect of adrenaline on the body. In addition to individual sensations, there are a number of signs that accompany almost any attack, regardless of the cause and physiology.

The symptoms are as follows:

Atypical attacks

In rare cases, a person experiences an atypical panic attack.

Its symptoms make the patient even more helpless than during a normal attack:

Temporary dysfunction of the sensory organs. Loss of vision or hearing.
Loss of voice control.
Feeling of stiffness in movement.
Nausea, vomiting, involuntary urination.
Convulsions reminiscent of epileptic attacks.
Loss of consciousness.

Instead of fear and panic, the patient experiences emotions corresponding to depression: irritability, melancholy, a feeling of hopelessness. Atypical panic attacks, due to the characteristics of the symptoms, are much more difficult to diagnose.

How can an attack begin?

An attack can be triggered by negative thoughts about the stress experienced, associative memory, and one’s own imagination. Even memories of a previous attack can cause a new one. The body responds very sensitively to thoughts and mood, especially in cases where at least one panic attack has already been experienced.

An uncontrolled thought process about an exciting event awakens negative emotions, anxiety and worries. This tension is often enough to trigger the physical symptoms of an attack.

When the attack is worse tolerated

There is a relationship between a person’s psychological profile and how severe panic attacks are. People who are characterized by high emotionality, pessimism, and a tendency to be dramatic feel the symptoms of attacks more vividly.

If after the first attack, a person independently and incorrectly analyzes what happened, convinces himself that the cause is a serious (incurable) illness or the inevitability of an accident, then there is a high probability of recurrence of panic attacks. Through his own suspiciousness and imagination, the patient develops and perpetuates the disease.

When a person tolerates an attack more easily

Panic attacks and symptoms, the treatment of which may not require treatment, are more easily tolerated by strong-willed, self-sufficient people, socially adapted and independent of the opinions of others.

In these cases, when faced with an attack, a person does not focus his attention on sensations or think about the reasons. This reaction does not allow the symptoms to close in a circle; the disease does not receive nourishment and fades away on its own.

Night crises

Night attacks are more difficult to tolerate and have a strong negative impact on a person’s life between crises. Instead of proper rest after a busy day, the patient faces even more stress. First, an attack interrupts sleep - a depressed, depressed state occurs, and fatigue accumulates. The person begins to be afraid to fall asleep.

Insomnia leads to nervous exhaustion, which causes borderline states, depression, and other more serious mental disorders. With night crises, there is a high probability of rapid development of generalized anxiety disorder.

Menopause and panic attacks

Age-related hormone-dependent changes in a woman’s body very often cause panic attacks. Due to the decreasing amount of estrogen, a woman’s mental state becomes unstable. Menopausal syndrome, the symptoms of which are very similar to the symptoms of panic attacks, can also complicate the situation.

Distinctive features are the following:

irritability;
nervous breakdowns;
so-called “hot flashes”, a condition in which a feeling of stuffiness and heat is replaced by chills;
fear and anxiety.

Panic attacks most often occur during pathologically early or late menopause, as well as in cases of artificially induced menopause for medical reasons. Panic attacks, the symptoms and treatment of which are determined by the joint efforts of a gynecologist and a psychologist, are the most common and natural reaction of the female body to the decline of reproductive function.

Vegetative-vascular dystonia

Vegetative-vascular dystonia is responsible for pain in the heart area, neuralgic disorders, headaches during panic attacks. As such, there is no disease - this is a generalized name for body dysfunction, in which poor health is due to a combination of reasons, and not to one specific disease.

The vessels are the first to suffer. In this regard, pressure surges, arrhythmia, weakness and other symptoms accompanying panic attacks are observed. Considering the characteristics of vegetative-vascular dystonia, it can be both a symptom and a cause of anxiety.

Diagnosis

To make a diagnosis, the psychotherapist must make sure that the repeated attack occurred unpredictably, without external provocation. A depressed, depressed state between attacks is also excluded.

A single attack is not considered a disorder. For diagnosis, the frequency of attacks should vary from once every six months to 3-4 times a week.

When the diagnosis is confirmed, the medical history is supplemented with information about the patient’s lability, stress experienced and other important information that will help in identifying the causes and prescribing treatment.

Treatment of panic attacks

There are two directions in the treatment of panic attacks: psychotherapeutic and medication. The most effective treatment is a mixed treatment that simultaneously addresses both physical and mental symptoms.

In addition to professional medical assistance, a person suffering from panic attacks can independently learn ways and techniques that will help ease and more calmly endure the next attack. Knowledge of how to help a person during an unexpected attack of irrational fear will be useful to people who are surrounded by such patients.

Actions during a panic attack: proper breathing techniques

Regulating your breathing is one of the first ways to restore calm and break the cyclical nature of the attack. To do this, you need to take a deep breath through your nose. Hold the breath. Exhale through your mouth. It is recommended to carry out all actions slowly and repeat at least 15 times until breathing is completely normalized.

Accompanying breathing with hand exercises will help to distract attention from unpleasant health and quickly regain composure.

To do this, while inhaling, you need to slowly raise your outstretched arms above your head. And as you exhale, also slowly and without bending, lower them along the body. This exercise will help synchronize breathing with movements, and also help relieve the feeling of numbness in the limbs.

How to help a person during a panic attack?

In cases where a person is unable to cope with an attack on his own, it is very important that there are people nearby who can provide all possible assistance. First of all, it is necessary to capture the patient's attention. In moments of fear, a person needs emotional support and the confidence that he will not be left to cope with the situation alone.

You should reassure in a confident, calm and even voice using affirmative phrases that reflect reality: “You are not alone, I will be there, together we will cope, there is no threat.” In this case, you can first adjust your breathing to the patient’s breathing rhythm, and then gradually normalize the frequency of inhalations.

The patient will repeat these actions unnoticed, which will speed up the end of the attack and make him feel better.

In addition to emotional support, physical contact plays a very important role. Massage will help relax tense muscles and relieve spasticity, which is a common symptom of panic attacks. The more and longer a person fixates on his feelings, the more intense the attack.

Distraction can completely stop a panic attack. Any activity that involves mental work is suitable for these purposes: complex counting of objects, composing or retelling a story. It is important to captivate the patient and direct his thoughts away from the sensations he is experiencing.

Drug treatment for panic attack

Panic attacks, the symptoms and treatment of which are determined by a psychotherapist, are amenable to medication correction. Treatment is carried out in two directions: stopping a panic attack at the first symptoms and preventing recurrent attacks in the future.

To stop an attack, quick-response medications are used that have a sedative and anti-anxiety effect: diazepam, midazolam, temazepam. The disadvantage of these drugs is the development of dependence in the person taking them.

Control of repeated attacks is carried out with the help of long-term use of antidepressants, tranquilizers and hormonal drugs in courses. These drugs are selected in accordance with the patient’s physical health and the causes of nervous disorders.

The dosage is gradually increased to that required to maintain the effect. When the drug is discontinued, the dosage is gradually reduced.

Drug category	Impact principle	Contraindications	Drugs
Tricyclic antidepressants	Increased levels of serotonin and norepinephrine, improved emotional background, sedative effect	Heart and lung diseases	Imipramine, Clomipramine, Desipramine.
Monoamine oxidase inhibitors	Stabilization of mood, improvement of concentration, normalization of sleep	Kidney and liver diseases, withdrawal syndrome, taking other antidepressants	Pearlindol, Moclobemide.
Serotonin reuptake inhibitors	Pronounced anti-panic effect	Epilepsy, manic states	Fluoxetine, Sertraline, Paroxetine.
Tranquilizers	Sedative effect, anti-panic effect, relief of muscle tension.	Liver and kidney diseases, epilepsy, arterial hypotension	Alprazolam, Clonazepam, Lorazepam.
Beta blockers	Eliminating the effects of adrenaline on the body	Bradycardia, hypotension	Metoprolol, Propranolol.
Atypical antidepressants	Neutralization of mental and physical symptoms	Diseases of the liver, kidneys, taking other antidepressants	Bupropion, Trazadone, Mirtazapine.
Nootropics	Improving brain activity, normalizing blood circulation, stimulating stress resistance	Chronic liver and kidney diseases, myasthenia gravis, epilepsy	Glycine, Pyritinol.

All medications are prescribed by a psychotherapist. In the presence of acute or chronic diseases, the use of medications is agreed with the therapist.

Psychotherapy in the treatment of panic attacks

Panic attacks are more effectively treated with an integrated approach. Psychotherapy in these cases is aimed at identifying and eliminating the causes of anxiety disorders.

In each case, an individual technique and treatment program are selected:

Cognitive behavioral psychotherapy. The basis of therapy is the patient's change in attitude towards attacks.
Psychoanalysis is popular in severe cases accompanied by negative living conditions. Treatment is aimed at finding out the true reasons for what is happening to the patient and resolving internal conflicts.
Hypnosis. Suitable for patients susceptible to such influence, suggestible. The therapy consists of psychological instructions that the patient receives during a trance.
Neurolinguistic programming corrects the patient's response to potential stimuli, increasing stress resistance.
Gestalt therapy helps to identify suppressed needs and find a way to satisfy them. This approach helps calm subconscious anxiety and makes a person more confident.

The use of herbal preparations

For mild attacks and to eliminate mild anxiety, collections of medicinal plants that have a calming effect will help. The infusions should be taken in a course, but not more than 1 month. Then a break is needed.

Plants that have a relaxing effect:

Panic attacks - natural sedatives will help relieve symptoms and improve treatment.

It is important to understand that systematic attacks cannot be cured with herbal medicine. It is aimed at alleviating symptoms of anxiety, normalizing sleep, and reducing tension.

Preventing recurrences of panic attacks

Preventive measures will help reduce the risk of a repeat panic attack:

Meditation will help stabilize your emotional state and organize your thoughts.
Playing sports will relieve tension, relieve accumulated fatigue, and strengthen physical health.
Herbal medicine will have a calming effect and improve sleep.
A good rest that will charge you with positive emotions and restore the strength of the body.

It is very important to change your usual life for the better, to work on yourself.

What should you do to avoid panic attacks?

By reviewing your habits, lifestyle, and improving yourself as a person, you can avoid panic attacks:

A positive attitude towards life, sociability, and the ability to express oneself can significantly improve the quality of life and reduce anxiety attacks to zero.

What can trigger a recurrence of panic?

The irritant for the formation of a repeated anxiety state can be conditions in which attacks have previously occurred. Unexpected sounds, claps, and gunshots can also provoke panic. The situation is aggravated by the refusal of qualified assistance and medication treatment.

Patients who have chosen an isolated lifestyle are especially sensitive to provocations. Every exit from their comfort zone becomes a severe stress that they are unable to cope with on their own.

A diagnosis of a panic attack is not a sentence to a painful existence in fear. Its symptoms are treatable and correctable. But it is important to understand that the result, first of all, depends on the person himself, his desire to overcome the disease and determination to work on himself and his worldview.

Article format: Lozinsky Oleg

Video about panic attacks

What are panic attacks and how to treat them:

Animal fear without visible physical threat in a dream or in reality. This is not a quote from a horror book, but the reality in which patients with panic attacks live. Mental disorder loves the young and active. The lion's share of patients with this diagnosis are people from 20 to 30 years old. Chronic illness is accompanied by physical and emotional suffering.

On the part of panic attack survivors, the worst thing for them in this state is depersonalization and derealization. It seems to a person that he is not in his native environment (although this may be his father’s house) and not in his body. It's scary, freezing from the inside. The worst thing is that a panic attack does not choose the place and time for the attack. Exacerbation may occur:

in a traffic jam;
on public transport during rush hour;
at a crowded meeting or during a one-on-one conversation with a manager;
at business negotiations or at home at the family table.

Symptoms and signs of a panic attack

The attack occurs suddenly, and the strength of the symptoms is impossible to predict. Neurologists and psychotherapists have noticed that they provoke a panic attack:

long-term stress factor. Illness or death of a loved one, a stressful period at work or school, unrequited feelings, divorce;
hypercontrol. Perfectionists, accustomed to keeping everything under control and doing it perfectly, are at risk of panic attacks;
staying in open crowded areas. In psychology, the concept is called “fear of the marketplace.”

A panic attack can start at any time and anywhere

These or alternative stress factors trigger a reaction of the autonomic nervous system that is inadequate in strength and duration. An excess amount of adrenaline enters the bloodstream, causing symptoms:

difficulty swallowing. During a panic attack, it is difficult for a person to swallow water or take a breath. It seems to him that he might choke on his own tongue or air;
increased sweating. The person’s palms, face, and back suddenly become wet;
difficulty breathing. The chest seems to be bound by iron hoops. Difficulty inhaling or exhaling deeply. Shallow and frequent breathing causes hyperventilation of the lungs, dizziness begins, and nausea appears;
hypertension and tachycardia;
heartache. During an attack, patients think they are experiencing a heart attack. It stings so much, presses and cuts in the chest at the same time;
discomfort in the stomach, pain in the intestines, feeling of nausea.

A panic attack lasts from 3 to 15 minutes. Depending on the neglect of the condition and the degree of damage to the autonomic nervous system, people can suffer from manifestations of the disease from 1-2 times a month to several times a day, which significantly complicates maintaining a socially active lifestyle.

Why are panic attacks dangerous?

At the peak of a panic attack, a person loses his sense of connection with reality. If he is on the subway, then due to dizziness and panic, he may fall from the escalator or onto the rails, injuring himself. Also during an attack the patient is helpless. It is easy to steal or cause physical harm.

As for outsiders, panic attacks may be regarded by friends, family, and colleagues as hysteria, theatricality, or pretense. Without realizing the seriousness of the situation, they make things worse for the patient, exacerbating his depression, uncertainty, and apathy.

Conversation with superiors is a trigger for an attack

What to do during a panic attack?

If an attack begins, then:

Find a wall or table to lean on.
Clasp your hands. This will allow you to regain concentration and awareness of your own body.
Stop hyperventilation. Take a slow deep breath (4 counts), exhale for 4 counts and pause for 2 counts.
Close your eyes and listen to sound, smell or tactile sensations.
After 2 minutes, drink some water in small sips.

Also, neurologists and psychologists categorically do not recommend changing location during an attack: running somewhere or going out. Wait for the attack to end, then calmly continue your work.

Panic attacks during sleep

The insidiousness of the attacks is that they are possible not only during the day. Seizures are not horror dreams. They most often occur between 12 noon and 4 am.

During an attack, a person wakes up or is in a borderline state and experiences all the symptoms. After the attack he can continue to fall asleep.

With the onset of the disease there are 1-3 night attacks, in advanced stages - up to 5 in one night. This drives you into a state of depression, a person is afraid to fall asleep, cannot relax, and succumbs even more to stress.

Features of the course of panic disorders in children and adolescents

Hormonal changes in a growing body are ideal conditions for the onset of panic attacks. Teenagers experience their first attacks at the age of 12-13 years, but even preschoolers are not immune from them. Due to the high sensitivity of the psyche, there are more girls among children diagnosed with a panic attack.

Symptoms during attacks are more pronounced than in adults. Pseudoparesis, involuntary acts of defecation and emptying the bladder are added to the classic manifestations of panic attacks.

Without treatment for adolescents and children, the condition worsens. Fainting and tachycardia appear more often, the patient experiences panic when visiting new places, fear of meeting people or moving independently. Neurologists at the Clinical Center for Autonomic Neurology do not use drugs or hypnosis to treat panic attacks. Therefore, they have many positive reviews and good dynamics of stopping seizures forever in children and adolescents.

Seizures in women during pregnancy

Panic attacks in expectant mothers are provoked by sudden changes in hormonal levels and severe stress before the upcoming birth. During an attack, expectant mothers feel suffocation and severe tachycardia, pain in the abdomen and heart, fear of losing consciousness, falling and harming the child. The complexity of treating panic attacks in this category is complicated by the impossibility of using antidepressants and other medications due to the threat of fetal development pathologies.

During a panic attack, pregnant women feel a strong contraction of the muscles of the abdomen and uterus

Complications of panic attacks in expectant mothers manifest themselves in the form of sudden muscle contractions, including and uterus. Because of this, the threat of miscarriage increases several times even against the background of a normal pregnancy.

Over the years of practice, neurologists at the Clinical Center for Autonomic Neurology have repeatedly encountered pregnant women diagnosed with panic attacks. Diagnostics that are safe for the woman and the unborn child and non-drug therapy allow us to achieve positive results.

Panic attacks in men

Stress at work and the constant desire to maintain high social activity play a cruel joke on the stronger sex. The parasympathetic nervous system ceases to resist the chronic stress factor and panic attacks develop.

A sharp increase in adrenaline in the blood during an attack provokes an increase in blood pressure and the accumulation of lactic acid in the muscles. As a result, the heart pounds in the chest, a feeling of heat appears in the chest, legs and arms are stiff and partially immobilized. Over time, an obsessive thought about repeat attacks, fear of loss of socialization and activity, apathy and depression at home and at work develop.

Panic attacks and vegetative-vascular dystonia

Neurologists at the Clinical Center for Autonomic Neurology identified panic attacks and vegetative-vascular dystonia as having the same nature - a disruption in the functioning of the autonomic nervous system. Regional nerve ganglia (ganglia) begin to become inflamed. Inflammation may be autoimmune in nature. In the initial stages, the body’s reserve is sufficient for pathology in the ganglia to occur asymptomatically. But severe or prolonged stress wears out the nervous system.

Depending on the location of the inflamed node, a person is tormented by symptoms of dysfunction of various organs and systems. Modern diagnostic methods MRI and CT detect abnormalities, but cannot detect the culprits of the pathology. And the person suppresses the symptoms with antidepressants and psychotherapy, treats healthy organs instead of eliminating inflammation in the ganglia once and for all.

Diagnosis and search for the root cause of panic attacks

Panic attacks have long been attributed to mental disorders, and various somatic symptoms were sought in other organs and systems. In 1998, American scientists made a coup. During radioimmunological diagnostics, they discovered the cause of panic attacks - inflammation of the autoimmune nature of the nodes (ganglia) of the autonomic (peripheral) nervous system.

“For the last 100 years, scientists have interpreted a wild feeling of fear, the fear of choking on air or a sip of water as a hysterical lump. Psychotherapy and antidepressants were prescribed. Although the reason is the inflamed autonomic ganglia of the cervical-collar area. Using computer thermography, we observe the problem in real time and begin to eliminate it without drugs or hypnosis.”

The head of the Clinical Center for Autonomic Neurology, A.I. Belenko, became interested in the developments. He noticed that depending on the location of the affected node in that part of the body, characteristic symptoms arise. When the solar plexus ganglia are damaged, a person has stomach pain and an ulcer is suspected. Gastroenterological studies do not reveal the cause, and antiulcer therapy is ineffective.

“There was a case in my practice. A patient was admitted with symptoms of diffuse inflammation in the abdominal cavity. MRI, CT, and other instrumental methods did not detect neoplasms or other anatomical and physiological abnormalities. I sent him for computer thermography. The picture revealed black holes piercing the stomach. These were inflamed areas with impaired innervation and blood supply in the area of the solar and hypogastric plexuses.”

A. Belenko, neurologist, candidate of medical sciences, author of a method for treating disorders of the autonomic nervous system

Autonomic nerve nodes are responsible not only for innervation (reception, processing and transmission of impulses), but also for thermoregulation. The diagnostic method - computer thermography - is based on this principle.

The thermal imaging camera is aimed at the area or the entire body of the patient. An image is taken in real time showing the activity of the ganglia and the presence of autoimmune inflammation in the nerve ganglia.

Diagnostics with a thermal imager:

prompt;
does not require preparations, diets, or changes in the patient’s lifestyle;
Suitable for adults and children, people weakened by chronic diseases, pregnant and nursing mothers. During the procedure, the body does not receive radiation;
the operation of the device does not affect pacemakers or metal implants (dental crowns, orthopedic structures);
the ability to monitor the treatment of panic attacks or VSD;
high sensitivity. The device responds to temperature differences of 0.1 degrees.

In addition to computer thermography, cardiac rhythmography is used. The method comes from space medicine. An ECG at rest, with minimal physical activity and during the recovery period records the work of the parasympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system. It is he who is responsible for mobilizing the body to protect or adapt to the stress factor. Normally, within 15-20 seconds it turns on the sympathetic department and extinguishes the activity of the parasympathetic: reduces the concentration of adrenaline, normalizes blood pressure. In patients with disorders of the autonomic system, this occurs with inhibition of 20-30 minutes. Within 10 minutes of cardiac rhythmography, the doctor receives a detailed picture of the functioning of the autonomic nervous system.

All diagnostics at the Clinical Center for Autonomic Neurology take up to 2 hours.

Dr. Belenko's original method of treating panic attacks

Having discovered the cause of disorders of the autonomic nervous system, a team of neurologists led by A.I. Belenko proposed a comprehensive course of non-drug therapy. When treating panic attacks, doctors do not use antidepressants, hypnosis or psychotherapy. The course of eliminating autoimmune inflammation of the ganglia consists of:

neural therapy. Hormones or painkillers are injected precisely into the area of the inflamed ganglion. The blockade relieves excess tension in the ganglion and blocks the transmission of impulses from the affected node. The combination of agents triggers the regeneration of nervous tissue and improves local metabolism;
photo laser therapy. Additionally used with blockade. Intravenous or subcutaneous laser direction provides analgesic, decongestant, restorative, antifungal, antibacterial effect. Photolaser therapy removes inflammation not only in the ganglia, but also in the tissues of organs that have suffered from incorrect innervation;
Magnetic and color rhythm therapy are methods that have no contraindications or side effects. Restore physical and emotional health;
drug Laennec. This is a placenta hydrolyzate containing essential amino acids, coenzymes, enzymes, minerals and antioxidants. The drug has immunomodulatory, regenerating, anti-inflammatory and rejuvenating properties. Intravenous, intramuscular or pharmacopuncture administration of Laennec triggers the restoration of nervous tissue of inflamed ganglia and restores the histological structure of organs.

Depending on the patient’s age, general condition of the body, number and location of inflamed ganglia, specialists at the Clinical Center for Autonomic Neurology may offer a repeat course 6 months after the main course.

Panic attacks and psychotherapy

Therapy for panic attacks with the help of a psychotherapist is a long process

Psychotherapists categorically attribute attacks to emotional, not mental disorders. The patients themselves, after depersonalization and disorientation, experience fear of mental insanity and attribute various deviations to themselves.

In classical therapy for panic attacks, psychotherapy methods are used:

hypnosis. A specialist puts a person into a borderline state, trying to help him understand the cause of an extremely strong reaction to a stress factor. Minus: not all psychotherapists are proficient in the technique; some patients cannot be hypnotized;
family psychotherapy. The causes of disharmony in relationships and stress in communication with family are examined;
body-oriented psychotherapy. Muscle tension is removed using breathing practices;
art therapy. A patient with a panic attack draws out his condition, learns to throw out negative emotions on a piece of paper, be aware of them and not be afraid.

Psychotherapy is a good tool. But it only removes the emotional manifestation of panic attacks and has no effect on autoimmune inflammation of the ganglia. Also, psychotherapy does not provide a lifetime guarantee for treatment; it requires up to 10 sessions with a specialist.

Treatment of panic attacks with antidepressants

Classical therapy involves taking strong drugs that suppress the activity of the nervous system.

Disadvantages of using antidepressants:

Patient dependence on medications. The person is afraid that without a dose of tranquilizer he will not survive the attack. Sometimes the reason for panic is the absence of a life-saving bottle of medicine nearby.
Addiction. Over time, the patient's nervous system adapts to the chemicals and stops responding to the inhibitory response. Either an increase in dose or selection of another drug is required.
Short-term effect. Taking only antidepressants without psychotherapy and other methods of correction does not guarantee long-term positive dynamics of recovery.

All the disadvantages of taking medications cancel out the positive effects. A person strives to recover, but becomes dependent on drugs, affecting the liver and kidneys. Neurologists themselves, with traditional treatment regimens, do not give a lifetime guarantee of recovery from panic attacks. The same cannot be said about the specialists of the Clinical Center for Autonomic Neurology. Thousands of patients who have undergone non-drug therapy without the use of hypnosis at the clinic have gotten rid of panic attacks and lead a full, active social life.

Antidepressants suppress processes in the nervous system, but do not treat inflammation in the ganglia.

How to get rid of panic attacks on your own

Neurologists advise overcoming the condition or making attacks less frequent with the help of:

diets Tonic drinks (energy drinks, black and green tea, coffee, cocoa, alcohol), food with spices, dairy products, and sweets are excluded from the menu. They focus on vegetables in any form, white poultry meat, fish, dried fruits, honey;
physical activity. Avoiding strength exercises. Running, swimming, martial arts, cycling - calm the psyche, have a relaxing effect, saturate the body with oxygen;
eliminating the stress factor. This is the most difficult moment. If a person is afraid of confined spaces, then experts advise against taking the elevator and going up to the floors on foot. Minimize communication with people who are annoying.

But, as practice shows, it is unrealistic to completely remove stress factors and live in an emotionally sterile environment, while working and studying in a team. These recommendations are applicable as aids. And it’s better to defeat panic attacks once and for all with the neurologists of the Clinical Center for Autonomic Neurology.

Feeling fear is an absolutely normal ability of the body, which produces the hormone adrenaline, which is designed to protect a person from external negative influences. When a large amount of fear hormone is released into the blood, pressure rises, heart rate increases, oxygen levels increase (it is impossible to breathe deeply), and other symptoms appear. These factors increase strength, endurance, arousal - everything that a person needs when faced with danger.

But what if sweating, coldness or numbness of the limbs and face, incessant and illogical fear suddenly overcame the body, without objective reasons (there is no real threat to life)? An unprepared person is lost, believing that such symptoms are the result of a serious illness. Let's look at the picture of the symptoms of panic attacks and find out how they are related to different phobias.

Primary symptoms of a panic attack

A characteristic feature of the first panic attack is its unpredictability: it is impossible to predict in advance when and where a panic attack will begin. It all starts with the fact that some phenomena or events around are perceived by a person as dangerous for no reason. The main cause of a panic attack appears - fear. Adrenaline causes the primary core symptoms of panic disorder: rapid heartbeat and difficulty breathing.

Secondary symptoms of a panic attack

There are quite a lot of them - more than 30 species. Ultimately, the appearance and development of certain symptoms comes down to what the person focuses on. Fear of certain consequences provokes further repetitions of panic attacks.

Fear for your life (thanatophobia - fear of death)

This includes physiological symptoms that the patient expects to lead to death:

Cardiophobia (fear of cardiac arrest): rapid heartbeat; chest tightness; pain in the solar plexus; high blood pressure; causeless trembling; tension in the body, it is impossible to relax the muscles.
Anginophobia (fear of suffocation) and fear of fainting: difficulty breathing; in the chest and throat; it is impossible to catch your breath, take a deep breath; dizziness; nausea; rapid pulse; weakness in the knees; noise in ears; tightness in the temples; blurred vision; dryness and lump in the throat.
Fear of gastrointestinal disease (including fear of getting cancer): pain in the stomach; frequent urge to go to the toilet; belching; nausea; spasms and pain in the intestines.

These are the main types physiological symptoms, which selectively appear in people with panic attacks.

Fear for your psyche (normality, adequacy)

Fear go crazy, losing control of your mind and body are prevalent in this category of panic symptoms:

Depersonalization. This is a mental feeling as if the body does not belong to the person. He can look at himself from the outside, but he is not able to control his body. Additional physiological symptoms: heaviness in the body, weak legs, numbness of the limbs, cold hands, stiffness of movement.
Derealization. The inability to think clearly and logically, the inability to realize where a person is, what he is doing, why he is standing here, etc. The reality around is distorted, tunnel thinking may appear, visual distance of objects, changes in their color, size, etc. From the side of the body : fragmented attention, inability to focus on objects, muscle tension, foggy eyes.

During this period, the patient is afraid of losing control over himself and believes that such symptoms will lead him to madness.

Fear for the reaction of others

This category also applies to psychological symptoms, however, expresses itself in physiological aspect, i.e., it combines the above-mentioned first and second groups. The patient is afraid that people around him will notice the following external changes in a person prone to a panic attack:

Increased sweating.
Hand tremors, body tremors, weakness.
Stiffness in movements, heaviness of limbs (impossible to raise an arm without trembling).
Redness of the face, spots on the neck and chest.
Labored breathing.

In fact, the patient himself adds fuel to the fire, thinking that people around him will notice similar symptoms. Practice shows that a person worries primarily about his appearance and rarely pays attention to other people.

Atypical manifestations of panic attacks

They are less common than typical ones and are mainly physiological in nature. As a result, the patient and doctor may be misled by:

Muscle tension, cramps.
Obvious gait disturbance.
Feeling of body arching.
Aphasia (obvious speech impairments).
Hysteria, depression, feeling of hopelessness.

Unreasonable crying is rare and can be confused with PMS in women, with signs of pregnancy, or with disturbances in the hormonal system. For clarification, you should contact a specialist.

The difference between the symptoms of panic and those similar to other diseases

The final diagnosis is made by a doctor who specializes in panic attacks, since another illness may be hiding under the guise of a mental disorder. There are a number of common characteristics that will help distinguish between symptoms of a similar series. Let us list the features of the condition during a panic attack:

Duration. All symptoms disappear as suddenly as they appeared - at the end of the attack.
Painful sensations. With a psychosomatic illness, pain occurs unexpectedly, is local in nature (does not move to other parts of the body) and quickly disappears.
Difficulty breathing. If there are additional symptoms (abdominal pain, stiffness), it is a symptom of panic disorder.
Time. The average duration of a panic attack is 15–20 minutes. The peak of the attack occurs at the 10th minute.
Tingling in the limbs, numbness. It is not localized to one arm or leg, but affects several parts of the body at once.

This is a general characteristic that does not take into account the many individual manifestations of panic in different people.

Panic attack in children and adolescents

As a rule, it is a consequence of two factors:

Social. Fear of surrounding people, confined spaces, and strong emotional shocks can cause panic in school-age children.
Hormone. It occurs in children from 11 to 17 years old and is a consequence of hormonal changes and renewal of the body. Accompanied by increased tearfulness, attacks of aggression, inability to adequately assess the situation, etc.

Parents can influence the condition of their child. First, during a panic attack, you should calm him down and show him that you are in complete control of the situation. Do not yell at your child or punish him under any circumstances! This behavior will only worsen the situation, the teenager will withdraw into himself, and panic disorders will visit him even more often.

The next step for parents should be to take their child to the doctor. Mild medications and cognitive therapy are usually prescribed.

Consequences of panic attacks

Contrary to popular belief, it should be noted that this disease has a psychological basis, which means it does not have physiological consequences. However, a person’s condition may worsen over time, panic attacks will become more frequent, and their nature will be more intense. To avoid leading yourself to neurosis, you should consult a psychiatrist.