Scientists have long established that almost half of the world's population is subject to such a condition as panic. What it is, you need to know in order to be able to prevent it. This is not as harmless as it seems at first glance. If you need to understand how to treat a condition such as panic, what this pathology is, you need to find out first of all.
So, this is an individual or mass fear (horror) that arises under the influence of a clear or imaginary threat. The condition is accompanied by various somatic disorders in the functioning of the body and has its own symptoms. Most often, this condition is diagnosed in people aged 20 to 40 years. In most cases, a person tries to avoid those places or factors that provoked an attack. If the pathology develops further, then social maladaptation will only intensify.
Reason for development
Anxiety, panic, horror arise from:
- Strong emotional upheavals orstresses that the nervous system cannot cope with.
- Conflicts with people.
- A very bright light or a loud sound.
- Taking hormonal medications.
- Pregnancy or abortion.
- Drinking alcohol.
- Atmosphere of uncertainty that arises in a large group of people.
- Real or perceived danger to human he alth or life.
- The need to make decisions or act without a conscious plan in a short amount of time.
- Mental illness.
- Psychological factors (difficult childhood, in which all negative emotions were forced into the subconscious).
The state of panic can occur several times a week or not at all if the human body is not susceptible to it. Most often, after such an attack, a person feels drowsiness and some relief.
A panic attack is characterized by the fact that for a person it carries the strongest stress, but does not pose any serious threat to life.
How does the pathological condition manifest itself?
There are these symptoms of panic:
- Pulse too fast.
- Excessive sweating.
- Hand tremor, internal trembling, chills.
- Feeling of heavy breathing, lack of air, suffocation.
- Pain in the heart area.
- Nausea.
- Discomfort in the abdomen.
- Dizziness, incoordination, fainting.
- Feelingdepersonalization.
- Fear of committing uncontrollable acts.
- Tingling in the limbs or feeling of numbness in some parts of the body.
- Fear of death.
- Insomnia.
- Confusion.
- Increased urination.
- Hearing and vision impairment.
- Throat lump, difficulty swallowing.
- Convulsive manifestations.
- Sexual dysfunction.
- Stiff movement or vice versa - increased mobility.
The symptoms presented usually come on suddenly. However, a panic attack can be the result of mental disorders, so it can develop even without any reason.
Components and mechanism for the development of a panic attack
Panic (that such a state is dangerous is already known) is a serious violation that includes the following components:
- Anxiety (intense fear, chest discomfort and muscle tension).
- Vegetative symptoms (shortness of breath, chills, increased blood pressure).
- Other signs (dizziness, feeling of disorientation in the surrounding space).
The duration of a panic attack varies from a few minutes to an hour. Subsequently, her person has a feeling of weakness and fatigue throughout the rest of the day.
If such attacks are observed too often, the doctor may diagnose the patient with a mental disorder. That is, people in this case live with the constant expectation of a new attack.
Excitement, panic is an unpleasant state that developsstep by step. The mechanism of its appearance is as follows:
- First, a person gets into a stressful situation, which contributes to the release of a large amount of adrenaline into the blood.
- Then the blood vessels constrict and the heart rate increases.
- Now there is an increase in breathing, which leads to a decrease in the concentration of carbon dioxide in the blood.
At the same time, the more panic, horror develops, the stronger the symptoms appear, so a vicious circle is obtained. This is characteristic of individual cases of a pathological condition.
Mass panic develops like this:
- Incentive comes first.
- Further, some people begin to emotionally react to him and sow panic in the crowd.
- Emotionally infected people begin to maintain a pathological state.
- A scream appears, a flight in which people can die. Moreover, screams can only increase the panic state.
- Restoring calmness, apathy as a result of loss of strength.
That is, such a condition can be extremely life-threatening.
Classification of panic attacks
Panic behavior can be classified as follows:
1. By reach:
- Individual. It is characteristic of only one person, for example, for a student taking an exam, or a woman about to give birth to a baby.
- Mass. In this case, this pathological condition is experienced by many people at once. It is provoked by various natural disasters (fire,flood) or social factors.
2. Personality:
- Behavioral. Actions in this case are meaningful, but dictated by emotions. Moreover, they are not always an adequate response to the threat. The development and attenuation of such a panic attack occurs gradually. It is characterized by the fact that it occurs in certain social groups or among the population. It usually does not develop in a crowd.
- Affective. It is just characteristic of the group, which was quickly seized by a strong sense of horror and fear. At first, a panic mood is noted in individuals who can be quickly inspired with something. Further, this mood spreads to the entire crowd. At the same time, the group has a state of hysteria, psychosis. Such a panic is considered very dangerous, since the crowd practically does not control their actions, and perceives reality inadequately.
3. According to the forms of manifestation:
- Panic mood. This condition is inherent not only to individuals, but also to entire strata of society. The behavior of people in this case is difficult to predict, since random stimuli can change it.
- Exodus. This is an extremely dangerous condition, which is characterized by the flight of people from an imaginary or real danger. Moreover, it is often unconscious.
- Economic panic. It is found mainly on banking exchanges during the financial crisis, price increases, and inflation.
Whatever the type of panic attack, the symptoms and treatment of the condition are determined by the doctor. alone with thisthe problem may not be solved.
Features of the diagnosis of pathology
It must be remembered that any minor factor in a sensitive person can cause panic, that such a disease must be diagnosed differentially, as it may be part of another anxiety disorder. So, the definition of the disease is made according to the following parameters:
- During an attack, the patient has at least 4 of the symptoms listed above.
- The development of this condition is unexpected, and also it cannot be provoked by increased attention from other people.
- Having at least 4 seizures per month.
In order to make a reliable diagnosis, you need to:
- Panic attacks or bouts of autonomic anxiety occurred at least once a month. At the same time, it is not at all necessary that there are circumstances that are not related to a real or objective threat.
- The pathological condition was not limited to predictable situations.
- There were quiet periods between panic attacks, when anxiety symptoms were absent or minimal.
Basic treatments
A person with a weak nervous system, high sensitivity to external psychological stimuli, may experience panic. What to do in this case, it is important to know in order to reduce the negative consequences of the pathology.
In most cases, therapy is doneoutpatient. Only extremely severe forms of pathology require hospitalization. Naturally, the treatment of each patient must be individual and comprehensive.
It includes:
- Emotional support for the patient.
- Physiotherapy methods.
- Psychotherapy and other treatments.
- Taking medication.
Features of drug treatment of PA
Panic (what it is, is already clear) requires the intervention of doctors. Often, medications are used for therapy, of which there are quite a lot in pharmacies today. They help reduce the number of seizures, although each drug has its own side effects that can worsen the patient's condition.
The following medications are used to calm the patient:
- Tincture of valerian, motherwort or peony.
- "Valocordin" (provides a sedative effect).
- More serious drugs: "Diazepam", "Temazepam" (the effect comes in 15-20 minutes). These funds are used to stop the attack.
- To control pathology, you can use antidepressants, tranquilizers, nootropics, beta-blockers. The dosage, as well as the duration of therapy in this case, is strictly determined by the doctor.
Psychotherapy in the treatment of pathology
This method of dealing with panic attacks is the main and most appropriate. There are such psychotherapeutic methods of therapy:
- Cognitive behavioral(most used). Here the specialist gradually tries to change the person's attitude to the problem. An explanation of the mechanism of development of the pathological condition is made. That is, the psychotherapist must teach the patient not to be afraid of disturbing symptoms, not to immediately panic.
- Hypnosis. The advantage of this technique is the fast result. Here, suggestion is mainly used. However, not every patient is hypnotic.
- Family therapy. In this case, work is carried out with all the patient's relatives, and not only with him.
- Psychoanalysis. The disadvantage of this method is its duration. That is, treatment can take more than one year.
- Neuro-linguistic programming. Here the specialist tries to change the person's view of the circumstances that cause a panic attack.
- Body-Oriented Psychotherapy. The emphasis in this case is on the bodily sensations of the patient. To achieve a positive effect, breathing exercises are used, as well as methods of relaxation and muscle tension.
Other treatments
If, for some reason, several negative factors are combined that cause fear in a person, he may begin to panic. Probably every second inhabitant of the planet knows what it is.
To combat this pathology, not only medications are used, but also physiotherapy procedures:
- Swimming in the pool.
- Massage with the use of aromatic oils that promoterelaxation of the person.
- Spa treatment.
- Acupuncture.
Additional treatments are:
- Auto-trainings. They help restore the normal functionality of the autonomic nervous system, suppress negative emotions. In this case, special exercises of respiratory gymnastics, tension and relaxation of the muscular system are used. In addition, an important part of the training is the pronunciation of verbal formulas that have a certain sequence.
- Yoga.
Prevention of pathology
In order to prevent panic attacks from recurring, it is imperative to follow these recommendations:
- Anxiety and depression should be actively combated. This requires not only medications, but also consultations of a psychologist (psychotherapist).
- With the help of traditional and non-traditional methods, it is necessary to develop stress tolerance. Relaxation, meditation, herbal medicine, self-control practices will help here.
- It is desirable to learn to live positively, to assess any situation adequately. There are no hopeless situations.
- From time to time you need to give vent to negative emotions.
- It is important to lead a he althy lifestyle: eat right, exercise, get enough rest.
- Don't dwell on the mistakes that have been made in the past. You need to try to increase your self-esteem.
That's all the information on the topic. We looked at panic attacks, the symptoms and treatment of this condition. It is very important to take care ofonly about his physical, but also mental he alth, since in the human body everything is interconnected. It is best to avoid the manifestation of panic disorders. Stay he althy!
