Panic attacks appear as a result of psychological trauma. Previously, seizures were not considered a disease. Doctors argued that crises occur in people with a special mental warehouse. At the moment, attacks are an independent disease with symptoms and treatment principles. The consequences of panic attacks have a negative impact on people.
What are panic attacks?
A panic attack is a sharp and causeless fear. The patient cannot explain why this is happening and what provoked it. The body stops listening to the person. Breathing quickens, pulse rate increases, sweating increases. Paleness of the skin appears, a person cannot move his arm and leg. All these symptoms are similar to those that occur with a strong fright.
Panic attacks are characterized by the onset of symptoms before the person begins to feel fear. It is impossible to find out the cause of anxiety, as well as to understand what to do to get rid of fear.
Additionally, fears for life and he alth are added, which leads to an aggravation of the situation. At the end of panic attacks, the consequences for the body begin to disturb the person. The thought arises that the heart is to blame for everything, but the cardiologist does not find any problems. A neurologist is treating this disease.
Neurotic state occurs due to a malfunction of the autonomic nervous system. But the reasons for the appearance of attacks have not been fully studied.
Causes of panic attacks
People underestimate the he alth effects of panic attacks and don't see a doctor. A small amount of information about this ailment makes one think that it is a mental illness. Fear of the unknown is the reason why doctor visits are postponed.
Doctors still don't agree on what causes an attack. It is known that during attacks, changes occur in the nervous system, the production of adrenaline, serotonin and norepinephrine is disrupted.
It is not always possible to find the true cause of PA, but experts agree on one thing - frequent stress provokes the development of the disease.
Causes that provoke the onset of the disease:
- External factors influence the emergence of causeless fears.
- Sensitive people suffer from panic attacks. Their own sensations become too vivid. A feeling of panic sets in.
- Stress and a prolonged state of anxiety leads to a surge of emotion. This disease is more likely to affect women, because.they are more emotional. Accumulated negativity increases the risk of panic attacks.
- Genetic predisposition. It has been proven that patients suffering from panic attacks often have relatives who have met with this ailment.
- Abuse of alcohol or drugs.
Panic that appears for no reason can lead to thyroid disease. During an attack, signs of vegetative-vascular dystonia appear.
Diagnosis
To avoid the consequences of panic attacks, the disease should be detected in a timely manner. Seizures are diagnosed by a neurologist. The diagnosis is based on the collection of the patient's history. The disease sounds like "vegetative-vascular dystonia with a crisis course."
Similar symptoms are possible with other diseases:
- thyroid disorder;
- schizophrenia;
- with a sharp change in blood glucose;
- heart disease;
- mental disorder.
When diagnosing a disease, it is necessary to find out if the patient is taking medical or herbal preparations that stimulate the nervous system. This may be excessive consumption of coffee or alcohol. If the symptoms are not a reaction to drugs, then treatment is given.
Symptoms of attacks
Timely diagnosis avoids the treatment of the consequences of panic attacks. Symptoms and signs indicating the development of the disease:
- unreasonable bout of fear:
- strong heartbeat;
- dizziness;
- chest pain;
- pressure change;
- chill;
- sweating;
- nausea;
- lack of sensation control;
- fear of dying.
Why are PA dangerous?
The crisis arises suddenly, nothing heralds its beginning. The consequences of panic attacks for the body are different:
- After a crisis, there is a fear of a repeat of a similar situation. A person can associate their beginning with a room or certain emotions. For this reason, phobias arise. A person is afraid of a new attack, an enclosed space or something else.
- There is a failure in the vegetative system. Pain in the heart causes fear for he alth. During an attack, the patient calls the doctor, but cannot explain what is happening to him. If the patient focuses on pain in the heart and does not notice other symptoms, for this reason, it is possible to administer a medicine that will not bring relief or may harm.
- The consequence of a panic attack can be a car accident, provided that the person was driving. Fear and inability to control emotions leads to inadequate driver behavior. Therefore, PA requires treatment to prevent recurrence.
- Fear during a crisis can lead to suicide. A person cannot cope with horror and panic and commits rash actions.
The symptoms and causes of a panic attack may vary from time to time, but there is always an unreasonable fear that is not dangerous forperson. But some people do things that lead to unfortunate consequences.
Psychological consequences
One of the consequences of panic attacks is strong nervous feelings. Psychological problems become serious. Fear of repeated attacks does not allow to live fully. A person is afraid that this will happen in public transport, at work, during a trip. The patient unconsciously waits for new attacks. Afraid of being alone, keeps the ambulance number in a prominent place.
If the disease is not treated, the attacks can be repeated again and again. The sick person avoids noisy places, stops communicating with friends and family, refuses to drive a car or use public transport. Such people do not travel for fear of losing timely medical care.
If the consequences of panic attacks are not treated, then severe forms of depression occur, which lead to a decrease or loss of working capacity. In severe cases, disability may be obtained. In patients, personal life is destroyed, difficulties in relationships appear. All the consequences appear due to the fear of repeated attacks of panic attacks. The doctor prescribes a treatment that reduces the risk of relapses and reduces anxiety.
Social Consequences
The consequence of panic attacks is increased control of the internal state. Excessive listening to sensations causes additional seizures. Additional care from relatives puts the patient in the center of everyone's attention. Patients may additionallycause crises in order to feel the care and guardianship of loved ones. There are situations in which people deliberately caused seizures in order to achieve what they wanted. At first, they were in control, but later the attack occurred without their desire.
Excessive guardianship of loved ones, lack of contact with the outside world, fear of going for a walk or shopping on their own creates social problems for the patient. The patient shifts the responsibility for recovery to relatives and doctors without making any effort.
The number of panic attacks increases after information about terrorist attacks, plane crashes. The death of loved ones provokes the emergence of a new attack. People suffering from the disease, as a rule, weakly resist stressful situations, but for a long period they cope with their emotional state. If the nervous tension is stronger than a person, then the first attack occurs.
Therapeutic implications
The consequences after panic attacks do not affect the general condition of the body. This is a psychosomatic problem. Not a single case of a heart attack or stroke was recorded against the background of the disease.
Panic attacks cause blood pressure spikes, but hypertension does not occur.
When making a diagnosis, the doctor must exclude a rare disease - pheochromocytoma - a disease of the adrenal glands. In this case, the body produces a large amount of adrenaline, which causes increased heart rate and other symptoms similar to PA. The main difference between patients with pheochromocytoma is that they do notexperience a feeling of fear, are not afraid of new attacks.
At the moment it is not clear whether one disease can cause another, but it is known that some patients diagnosed with panic attacks were diagnosed with pheochromocytoma.
The consequences of panic attacks are only sociological and psychological problems. No pathologies from other organs are detected. The main problem of the disease is fear, which is difficult to get rid of.
Harm from PA
From a panic attack, a person does not go crazy, mental illness does not develop, and schizophrenia does not occur. All psychological problems appear because of the fear of repeated crises. A strange state - a consequence after panic attacks.
Periodic attacks train the heart muscle and reduce the development of heart disease. The crisis does not cause the development of other diseases and does not have a significant impact on the body.
Physical manifestations of attacks occur in response to internal conflict. Desires that contradict each other make us live in constant tension. The inability to cope with emotions and "blow off steam" leads to panic attacks.
Can you die during a panic attack?
Panic attacks happen for no reason. Fear and panic are almost uncontrollable. The main fear that arises during an attack is the fear of death. Panic attacks are known to be highly treatable. No deaths are known during the crisis.
The consequences of panic attacks do not affectto the development of heart or vascular disease. Lack of treatment provokes psychological problems. The attack itself does not lead to the death of the patient.
Crisis response and prevention
To stop an attack and avoid the consequences of a panic attack, you should know the rules for overcoming a crisis:
- Calm down. The fear of death provokes to commit rash acts. The more a person listens to his feelings, the more signs of the disease he finds. You should try to stop the panic attack.
- Restore breathing. During an attack, the breaths become short and shallow, which increases the panic. Take a few deep breaths.
- Try to relax and turn your attention to external objects. It could be counting buttons or stripes on wallpaper.
- During a crisis, the limbs become cold, so you should warm them up. You can use a warm water jet or heating devices, but only if there is no pressurization.
- Don't run away, don't try to hide.
- Try to look at yourself from the outside. Accept that there is no he alth risk from a panic attack.
