Panic attack. Causes, symptoms and treatment of pathology. When there is no cause for concern. Panic attack medications

Panic attack (or episodic paroxysmal anxiety) is a subtype of anxiety disorder that refers to neurotic-level stress-related disorders. A panic attack is a well-defined episode of intense anxiety or distress that comes on suddenly, peaks within minutes, and lasts no more than 10 to 20 minutes.

A characteristic feature is the unpredictability of the occurrence and the huge difference between the severity of subjective sensations and the objective status of the patient. According to modern psychologists, panic attacks are observed in about 5% of people who live in big cities.

What is a panic attack?

A panic attack is an unpredictable attack of intense fear or anxiety, combined with a variety of autonomic multi-organ symptoms. During an attack, a combination of several of the following symptoms may occur:

• hyperhidrosis,
• heartbeat,
• labored breathing,
• chills,
• tides,
• fear of insanity or death
• nausea,
• dizziness, etc.

The signs of panic attacks are expressed in attacks of fear that occur completely unpredictably, the person is also very anxious, she is afraid to die, and sometimes she thinks that she will become insane. At the same time, the person experiences unpleasant symptoms from the physical side of the body. They are not able to explain the reasons, they cannot control the time or strength of the attack.

Step by step mechanism for the development of a panic attack:

• the release of adrenaline and other catecholamines following stress;
• narrowing of blood vessels;
• an increase in the strength and frequency of the heartbeat;
• increase in respiratory rate;
• decrease in the concentration of carbon dioxide in the blood;
• accumulation of lactic acid in tissues in the periphery.

Panic attacks are a common condition. At least once in a lifetime, every fifth person suffered it, but no more than 1% of people are subject to frequent disorders that recur for more than a year. Women are 5 times more likely to get sick, and the peak incidence occurs at the age of 25-35 years. But an attack can also appear in a child over 3 years old, and in a teenager, and in people over 60 years old.

Causes

To date, there are many theories of the origin of panic attacks. They affect both physiological and social link. However, the root cause of a panic attack is considered to be the physiological processes occurring in the human body, under the influence of stress factors.

The condition can be triggered by any disease, fear, or operation that the person was worried about. Most often, an attack develops against the background of mental pathologies, but it can also be caused by:

• transferred;
• ischemic heart disease;
• mitral valve prolapse;
• childbirth;
• pregnancy
• the beginning of sexual activity;
• pheochromocytoma (tumor of the adrenal glands, in which too much adrenaline is produced);
• taking drugs cholecystokinin, glucocorticoid hormones, anabolic steroids.

In healthy people without bad habits, the appearance of panic attacks usually provokes psychological conflict. If a person constantly lives in a state of stress, suppression of desire, fear for the future (for children), a sense of his own inadequacy or failure, this can result in a panic disorder.

Besides, predisposition to panic attacks has a genetic basis, approximately 15-17% of first-degree relatives have similar symptoms.

In men, panic attacks are much less common. This, according to research findings, is due to the complex hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle. You will not surprise anyone with the presence of sharp emotional jumps in women. There is a possibility that men are less willing to ask for help because of their feigned masculinity. They are more likely to get addicted to drugs or alcohol in order to lose their obsessive symptoms.

Risk factors:

• Psychological trauma.
• chronic stress.
• Disturbed sleep-wake patterns.
• Lack of physical activity.
• Bad habits (drinking alcohol, smoking).
• Psychological conflicts (suppression of desires, complexes, etc.).

Kinds

Modern medicine allows you to combine PA into several groups:

• Spontaneous PA. They appear without any reason.
• Situational. They are a reaction to a specific situation, for example, a person is afraid of speaking in public or crossing a bridge.
• Conditional. They appear in most cases after exposure to the body of biological or chemical stimulants (drugs, alcohol, hormonal changes).

Symptoms of panic attacks in adults

With a panic attack, there is a pronounced fear (phobia) - the fear of losing consciousness, the fear of "going crazy", the fear of death. Loss of control over the situation, understanding of the place and time of being, sometimes - awareness of one's own personality (derealization and depersonalization).

Panic attacks can haunt healthy and optimistic people. At the same time, they occasionally experience bouts of anxiety and fear, which end when they leave the “problem” situation. But there are other cases when the attacks themselves are not as dangerous as the disease that caused them. For example, panic disorder or severe depression.

The most common symptoms of panic attacks are:

• The main symptom that sends an alarm bell to the brain is dizziness. Panic attacks contribute to the release of adrenaline, a person feels the danger of the situation and pumps it even more.
• If you do not overcome this onset of an attack, shortness of breath appears, the heart begins to beat strongly, blood pressure rises, and accelerated sweating is observed.
• Throbbing pain in the temples, a state of suffocation, sometimes heartaches, constriction of the diaphragm, incoordination, blurred mind, nausea and vomiting, thirst, loss of real time, intense excitement and a feeling of fear that does not leave.

Psychological symptoms of PA:

• Confusion or narrowing of consciousness.
• Sensation of a lump in the throat.
• Derealization: the feeling that everything around is as if unreal or happening somewhere far away from the person.
• Depersonalization: the patient's own actions are perceived as if "from outside".
• Fear of death.
• Anxiety about some unknown danger.
• Fear of going crazy or committing an inappropriate act (yelling, fainting, throwing yourself at a person, urinating, etc.).

A panic attack is characterized by a sudden, unpredictable onset, an avalanche-like increase and a gradual subsidence of symptoms, and the presence of a post-attack period that is not associated with the existence of a real danger.

On average, paroxysm lasts about 15 minutes, but its duration can vary from 10 minutes to 1 hour.

After suffering a panic attack, a person is in constant reflection about what happened, fixes attention on well-being. This behavior can lead to panic attacks in the future.

The frequency of panic attacks in panic disorder can vary from a few per day to several per year. It is noteworthy that seizures can develop during sleep. So, a person wakes up in the middle of the night in horror and a cold sweat, not understanding what is happening to him.

What should a person do during a panic attack?

If self-control is maintained, and self-control is not lost, then, feeling an approaching attack, the patient should try to "distract". There are many ways to do this:

1. count - you can start counting the number of chairs in the hall or seats on the bus, the number of people without a hat in the subway car, etc .;
2. singing or reading poetry- try to remember your favorite song and hum it “to yourself”, carry a verse written on a piece of paper in your pocket and, when an attack begins, start reading it;
3. Know and actively use breathing relaxation techniques: deep breathing in the abdomen so that the exhalation is slower than the inhalation, use a paper bag or your own palms folded in a "boat" to eliminate hyperventilation.
4. Self hypnosis techniques: suggest to yourself that you are relaxed, calm, etc.
5. Physical activity: helps to get rid of spasms and convulsions, relax muscles, eliminate shortness of breath, calm down and distract from an attack.
6. Get in the habit of massaging your palms when panic has caught you off guard. Press on the membrane, which is located between the index and thumb. Press down, count to 5, release.
7. Help in relaxation can be provided by massaging or rubbing certain parts of the body: the ears, the neck area, the surface of the shoulders, as well as the little fingers and bases of the thumbs on both hands.
8. Cold and hot shower . Every 20-30 seconds, dousing with cold and hot water should be alternated in order to cause a response of the hormonal system, which will extinguish an anxiety attack. It is necessary to direct water to all parts of the body and head.
9. Relax. If the attacks appeared on the background of chronic fatigue, it's time to take a break. Take a bath with fragrant oils more often, sleep more, go on vacation. Psychologists say that 80% of people are cured in this way.

Often, over time, patients develop a fear of a new attack, they anxiously wait for it and try to avoid provoking situations. Naturally, such constant tension does not lead to anything good and attacks become more frequent. Without proper treatment, these patients often turn into recluses and hypochondriacs who are constantly looking for new symptoms in themselves, and they will not fail to appear in such a situation.

The consequences of PA for humans

Among the consequences are:

• social isolation;
• The emergence of phobias (including agoraphobia);
• Hypochondria;
• The emergence of problems in the personal and professional spheres of life;
• Violation of interpersonal relationships;
• Development of secondary depression;
• The emergence of chemical dependencies.

How to treat panic attacks?

As a rule, after the appearance of the first panic attack, the patient goes to a therapist, neurologist, cardiologist, and each of these specialists does not define disorders according to their profile. To the psychotherapist, which the patient needs initially, he gets mainly to the moment when he reaches or a significant deterioration, noted in the quality of life.

The psychotherapist at the reception explains to the patient what exactly is happening to him, revealing the features of the disease, then the tactics of the subsequent management of the disease are selected.

The main goal of treating panic attacks is to reduce the number of attacks and alleviate the severity of symptoms. Treatment is always carried out in two directions - medical and psychological. Depending on individual characteristics, one of the directions can be used or both at the same time.

Psychotherapy

The ideal option for starting the treatment of panic attacks is still considered to be a consultation with a psychotherapist. Considering the problem in the psychiatric plane, success can be achieved faster, since the doctor, having indicated the psychogenic origin of the disorders, will prescribe therapy in accordance with the degree of emotional-vegetative disorders.

1. Cognitive behavioral therapy is one of the most common treatments for panic attacks. The therapy consists of several stages, the purpose of which is to change the patient's thinking and attitude towards anxiety states. The doctor explains the pattern of panic attacks, which allows the patient to understand the mechanism of the phenomena occurring to him.
2. A very popular, relatively new type is Neuro-Linguistic Programming. At the same time, a special type of conversation is used, a person finds frightening situations and experiences them. He scrolls them so many times that the fear just disappears.
3. Gestalt therapy is a modern approach to the treatment of panic attacks. The patient analyzes in detail the situations and events that cause him anxiety and discomfort. During treatment, the therapist pushes him to look for solutions and methods to eliminate such situations.

Auxiliary herbal treatment is also practiced, in which patients are advised to take decoctions of certain herbs every day with a calming effect. You can prepare decoctions and infusions from valerian, veronica, oregano, nettle, lemon balm, mint, wormwood, motherwort, chamomile, hops, etc.

Panic attack medications

The duration of the drug course, as a rule, is at least six months. Cancellation of the drug is possible against the background of a complete reduction of expectation anxiety, if a panic attack has not been observed within 30-40 days.

For a panic attack, your doctor may prescribe the following medications:

• Sibazon (diazepam, relanium, seduxen) relieves feelings of anxiety, general tension, increased emotional excitability.
• Medazepam (rudotel) is a daytime tranquilizer that relieves panic fears, but does not cause drowsiness.
• Grandaxin (antidepressant) does not have a hypnotic and muscle relaxant effect, it is used as a daytime tranquilizer.
• Tazepam, phenazepam - relax the muscles, give a moderate sedative effect.
• Zopiclone (sonnat, sonex) is a fairly popular mild sleeping pill that provides a full healthy sleep for 7-8 hours.
• Antidepressants (lungs - amitriptyline, grandaxin, azafen, imizin).

Some of the listed drugs should not be taken for more than 2-3 weeks, because. possible side effects.

Feelings of anxiety and panic when starting certain medications can get stronger. In most cases, this is a temporary phenomenon. If you feel that the improvement does not occur after a few days after you start taking them, be sure to tell your doctor about it.

There are also drugs that are not potent, like tranquilizers. They are sold without a prescription, while with their help it becomes possible to alleviate the patient's condition in the event of an attack. Among these are:

• medicinal herbs,
• camomile,
• birch leaves,
• motherwort.

A patient who is prone to panic attacks is greatly facilitated by the state of awareness: the more he knows about the disease, about ways to overcome it and reduce symptoms, the more calmly he will treat its manifestations and behave adequately during attacks.

The use of herbal preparations

• To receive a medicinal herbal tincture, you can prepare the following mixture: take 100 g of tea rose fruits and chamomile flowers; then 50 g each of lemon balm leaves, yarrow, angelica root and St. John's wort; add 20 g each of hop cones, valerian root and peppermint leaves. Brew with boiling water, insist and drink slightly warm 2 times a day
• Peppermint should be brewed in this way: pour two tablespoons of mint (dry or fresh) with a glass of boiling water. After that, you need to insist mint tea under the lid for two hours. Then we filter the infusion, and drink a glass at a time. To calm the nervous system and treat panic attacks. It is recommended to drink three glasses of mint tea a day.

Prevention

PA prevention methods include:

1. Physical activity is the best prevention in the fight against panic attacks. The more intense the lifestyle, the less likely it is to experience panic attacks.
2. Walking outdoors is another way to prevent panic attacks. Such walks are very effective and have a long-term positive effect.
3. Meditation. This method is suitable for those who can cope with their habits and perform complex exercises daily;
4. Peripheral vision will help you relax, and therefore minimize the risk of a panic attack.

Panic attack - this is an inexplicable sudden attack of poor health, in which the patient is disturbed by a feeling of anxiety, combined with various autonomic symptoms. To define this term, doctors often use a number of other terms: vegetative crisis , VSD with a crisis course , cardioneurosis etc. Panic attacks show clear symptoms. This condition should be treated by a specialist.

How does a panic attack manifest?

A sharp, suddenly gripping feeling of unreasonable anxiety had to be experienced at least once, probably, by every person. Such panic disorders are usually accompanied by a sudden onset of a strong heartbeat, a feeling of dizziness and shaking in the knees. Such a reaction is the norm if a person really reacts to a threat or danger. But if such a condition is observed regularly, then we are already talking about a neuropsychiatric disorder called a panic attack. This pathological condition manifests itself for no reason and covers a person in completely different life situations. This can happen in transport or other places with a lot of people, as well as in confined spaces. Initially, it seems that there are no reasons for such a reaction. According to modern psychologists, panic attacks are observed in about 5% of people who live in big cities.

The reasons

Experts assure that panic attacks manifest themselves in a person as attacks in response to stressful situations and reflect a kind of internal struggle of consciousness with the aggression of the outside world. Another reason why a person is bothered by the symptoms of a panic attack is the presence of certain psychological conflicts that a person cannot recognize and resolve. Of course, people who are prone to such attacks are primarily concerned about whether such disorders are dangerous, and how to cope with the manifestations of VVD. There is more than one forum on the network where people prone to such an attack are looking for an answer on how to get rid of such manifestations.

Most often, panic attacks, which are sometimes defined by doctors as, hearts, etc., occur in people who have poor protection from the effects of stress due to a shortage in the body and norepinephrine . It is these substances that effectively prevent the impact of emotional and physical discomfort on the body. Such people can maintain their composure for some time, but when stressed too much and for a long time, they are covered by a wave of panic attacks. Women are more susceptible to such manifestations. Panic attacks often occur during pregnancy, as well as in people who often drink alcohol.

Anything can serve as a starting point for the manifestation of a panic attack: stress , emotional fluctuations , lack of sleep . In this case, a panic attack overcomes the patient not at the moment when there is an objective danger, but at the usual time. Accordingly, it is difficult for a person to explain to himself what is the cause of such nervousness.

Symptoms

The most pronounced, as a rule, is the first attack of a panic attack. Nervousness in a person is accompanied by a sharp rise, a pronounced affect. The patient's heart beats strongly, sometimes he may even lose consciousness. All subsequent manifestations of panic attacks in most cases are less pronounced.

Already after the first pronounced attack on how to deal with such manifestations, a person should consult a doctor. Treatment of panic attacks is desirable to begin immediately after the first cases of neurosis. How to treat the disease, and what methods are preferable in an individual case, the specialist will also tell you.

People who suffer from panic attacks tend to have high blood pressure during the daytime, which is when they are most socially active.

Both during the first panic attack and during subsequent attacks, a person has pronounced autonomic symptoms : sweating, palpitations, pressure in the throat, headache, and. Such an attack lasts about ten to fifteen minutes, but sometimes it can last up to an hour. After the symptoms subside, the patient feels severe weakness and depression.

A panic attack is a separate disease in which a person may not manifest other symptoms. phobia . Despite this, often in patients prone to such attacks, various emotional-affective disorders are also observed. So, panic attacks can be combined with agoraphobia (fear of open space) claustrophobia (fear of closed spaces) fear of the crowd .

Sometimes panic disorder can be mistaken by a person for other diseases. Such misconceptions are most often present in those who have only recently begun to experience panic attacks. Such attacks are easily confused with manifestations of somatic diseases, with neurological diseases, as well as with some mental disorders.

How to spot a panic attack

There are objective criteria to determine that a person is really prone to panic attacks. You should accurately assess your condition and determine whether the symptoms described above appear, and also make sure that the following points are present.

People who are prone to panic attacks have attacks that come on suddenly and unexpectedly, with about four attacks a month. In at least one of the attacks, the person feels the fear of a new panic attack. During an attack, there is a feeling of unreality of what is happening, a person is afraid of dying, getting sick. It is possible to assume that a person is developing a panic attack if he has at least four of the following symptoms: strong pulse and palpitations; tremor and feeling of chills; sweating; labored breathing; painful or difficult breathing; discomfort in the chest on the left; nausea; and a state close to fainting; a feeling of fear of going crazy or doing an inadequate act; numbness or tingling in the arms and legs, sudden cold or hot flashes.

Diagnostics

After a person complains about the manifestation of the symptoms described above, doctors initially conduct all the necessary studies to exclude pathologies of internal organs - blood vessels, brain, etc.

Diagnosis is based on determining the clinical manifestations of the disease, as well as on determining the degree of human anxiety. For this, a special scale for assessing panic attacks and anxiety attacks is used.

Treatment

The best way to overcome panic attacks today is considered to be a competent combination of drug and non-drug therapy. The doctor adequately assesses the patient's condition and selects the appropriate antidepressant drug for him. It should be taken over a long period. Sometimes this treatment lasts up to a year. In this way, you can adjust the content in the patient's body serotonin and norepinephrine . Modern antidepressants can positively affect the patient's quality of life without causing unwanted side effects. The frequency and intensity of seizures decrease in a person, fear disappears, and the general psychological state and mood improve. In addition, if necessary, tranquilizers, neuroleptics are prescribed to patients. If a patient is diagnosed with a vestibular form of panic attacks, then he is also shown taking neurometabolic stimulants with a sedative effect.

As non-drug methods of therapy, psychotherapy sessions and a change in lifestyle are practiced. It is important that as few stressful situations as possible occur in a person’s life, and more positive emotions are observed.

In addition to these methods of treatment for panic attacks, it is sometimes advisable for the patient to carry out some physiotherapy procedures. Practiced MDM-therapy (mesodiencephalic modulation of the cerebral cortex), electrosleep, color therapy, aromatherapy. Also, sometimes reflexology is prescribed, a course of relaxing massage, physiotherapy exercises aimed at relaxation, and later - to increase tone. However, exercises should be moderately intense and dosed, since serious loads can worsen the patient's condition.

Auxiliary herbal treatment is also practiced, in which patients are advised to take decoctions of certain herbs every day with a calming effect. You can cook decoctions and, veronica, oregano, nettle, lemon balm, mint, chamomile, hops, etc.

You should also pay attention to the features of nutrition. It is better to exclude spicy seasonings and foods, strong coffee and tea, alcoholic beverages from the diet, as they have an exciting effect on the nervous system.

How to reduce the intensity of an attack?

A patient who periodically manifests attacks of a panic attack must learn to cope with the situation on his own, reducing the severity of manifestations. Sometimes the implementation of simple recommendations can completely prevent the development of a panic attack.

So, initially a person should always be aware of the fact that a panic attack does not threaten his health. This simple thought, however, is very difficult to realize during an attack. But if you try to master this method, then over time you can learn to control your mind during a panic attack.

To stop the panic, you need to try to take control of the situation that allegedly threatens the person. For this, a simple paper bag is suitable, breathing into which will help to control the work of internal organs with a glance.

The presence next to the patient of that person who is aware of his problems and can help at any time will also help. Even those people who are used to coping with all problems on their own should seek help. A person suffering from panic attacks should at least mentally give themselves permission to seek help from other people if necessary, and not consider this unworthy behavior. You also need to remember that there is always the opportunity to promptly call a doctor.

A patient who is prone to panic attacks is greatly facilitated by the state of awareness: the more he knows about the disease, about ways to overcome it and reduce symptoms, the more calmly he will treat its manifestations and behave adequately during attacks.

The doctors

Medications

Diet, food for panic attacks

Education: She graduated from the Rivne State Basic Medical College with a degree in Pharmacy. Graduated from the Vinnitsa State Medical University. M.I. Pirogov and an internship based on it.

Work experience: From 2003 to 2013 she worked as a pharmacist and head of a pharmacy kiosk. Awarded with certificates and distinctions for long-term and conscientious work. Articles on medical topics were published in local publications (newspapers) and on various Internet portals.

Comments

Rita | 17:54 | 09.04.2019

Something bad happened in the family. We invested in a fashion franchise and it didn't make any profit, only losses. The store had to be closed and the car sold for debts. After that, three weeks passed, my mother was worried all the time, my father withdrew into himself, and against the background of what was happening, I developed an anxiety disorder. One evening, when we were already habitually gloomily digesting what had happened each in our room, I decided that we needed to remove this terrible state with something, otherwise we would lose each other as well. So we got an appointment with one wonderful psychotherapist, who helped us a lot both morally and with a written prescription. We went to family therapy sessions and the whole family took Grandaxin. It was this medicine that helped us come to our senses and realize what happened objectively, and not through the prism of our own guilt and anger, which each of us experienced in ourselves. It really became morally better, we began to have dinner together again in the evenings, watch entertaining videos on YouTube, it also became easier to fall asleep. Good pills help put your thoughts in order, improve sleep and generally reconsider your outlook on life with a fresh look. And the car ... we will earn more money, only now we will do it wisely.

Vera | 18:14 | 07.09.2018

A very useful article. I drink tsiprolex all the rules, but .. in the plans of pregnancy, how to stop drinking it, because pregnant women cannot, and if you don’t drink, everything returns to normal (I tried it)

Elena O. | 10:17 | 25.11.2017

I have been suffering from panic attacks for over 3 years. I tried a lot of things. Various sedatives. I can't say that any of them cured me completely. But the best effect was from skullcap and hops in relaxen tablets - after a month and a half, they became many times less. And the general psychological state has improved, anxiety has gone.

Panic attacks last from 5 to 20 minutes, but in a matter of minutes they can cause extreme fear, somatic symptoms, thoughts of death. According to statistics, panic attacks occur more often in the middle age of 20-40 years, sometimes attacks can occur at night. Against the background of panic attacks, women develop neurotic conditions, phobias, which require the treatment of specialists.

IsraClinic consultants will be happy to answer any questions on this topic.

Panic attacks in women causes

Each person has his own inner world, his own character and personality, therefore, those situations that cause only discomfort for some, can unbalance others, and cause panic for others. Panic attacks occur in women for various reasons, which can be combined into groups.

• Stressful situation: it can be a short-term severe psychological trauma (for example, an accident, death of a loved one, divorce) or long-term stress (overwhelming mental stress, stressful work).
• Somatic diseases: panic attacks can act as a symptom of some oncological, cardiological and other diseases.
• Education: hyper-custody in childhood, comprehensive control, or vice versa, raising a girl as the center of the universe, to whom everything is always allowed;
• Genetics: Studies have shown that there is a genetic predisposition to panic attacks.
• Drug use and alcoholism. Panic attacks often occur during withdrawal or withdrawal symptoms or in connection with intoxication of the body with toxic substances.
• Mental illness (for example, schizophrenia).
• Changes in the hormonal background: failure of the menstrual cycle, the onset of sexual activity, pregnancy, menopause.
• Character traits: suspiciousness, anxiety, a tendency to hypochondria.
• Sedentary lifestyle, lack of physical activity.

These are the most common, however, not all causes in women.

Panic attacks in women, symptoms

Symptoms of panic attacks in women can be conditionally divided into two groups: physical and mental. Panic attacks can occur both during the day and at night. It is believed that it is people with a strong will who are prone to panic attacks at night, because they can control fear during the day.

• Physical symptoms: palpitations, chest pain, shortness of breath, sweating, vomiting, dry mouth. In this case, the symptoms appear only during a panic attack, and stop with its end.
• Mental symptoms: fear of death, insanity, feeling of impending doom, stiffness or restlessness, derealization or depersonalization, which come on suddenly.

Panic attacks in women during pregnancy and after childbirth

Panic attacks in women during menopause

In particular, attacks during menopause or menopause are accompanied by an intense release of stress hormones. Hormonal restructuring of a woman's body during menopause provokes the occurrence of panic attacks. About 18% of women during this period are prone to seizures, while the most common symptoms are fear of death, derealization and depersonalization, intense sweating, trembling.

Treatment of panic attacks in women

In women, it is selected depending on the severity of the symptoms, the frequency and duration of panic signs. IsraClinic has developed comprehensive clinic methods for diagnosing and treating panic attacks in women, including during pregnancy or menopause, this allows you to develop an individual comprehensive approach to the treatment of each patient. Initially, doctors in Israel conduct a thorough diagnosis of the body in order to exclude the presence of somatic diseases that can cause panic attacks.

Firstly. Drug treatment is used exclusively as prescribed by a psychiatrist. At the initial stages of the disease, during pregnancy and lactation, the expediency of using medications is compared with the possible damage to the child.

Secondly. Psychotherapy. For the treatment of panic attacks in women, different types of psychotherapy are used:

• cognitive-behavioral, designed to change a woman's attitude to panic attacks, substantiate fears, give a logical explanation for symptoms, reduce anxiety and help in the fight against catastrophic thinking. In cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy, the following methods are used to treat panic attacks: keeping a diary of observations, teaching breathing techniques, identifying the causes of fear or anxiety and dealing with them, meditation, etc.
• hypnosis (classical or Ericksonian) the main difference is that in the first, the patient is instilled with settings designed to reduce anxiety, and in the second, the patient plunges into a trance and, with the help of a psychiatrist, resolves internal conflicts;
• psychoanalysis is used in rare cases due to the need for long-term therapy;
• systemic family therapy (according to which susceptibility to panic attacks is a consequence of a lack of understanding between family members);
• neuro-linguistic programming, designed to change a person's response to situations that cause panic;
• art therapy gives an outlet to stress and fear, helps to get rid of hidden phobias and resolve internal conflicts. For the treatment of panic attacks in women, such types of art therapy as isotherapy, music therapy and other types are used.

Prevention of panic attacks in women

Prevention of panic attacks in women includes a set of measures designed to increase stress resistance, relieve tension and anxiety.

• Relaxing breathing, which is achieved using special techniques;
• Meditation;
• Sports activities;
• Hobby;
• Compliance with the daily routine and good nutrition;

It is also necessary to develop a plan of action during a panic attack - this can be counting, reciting simple verses or prayers, wearing a bracelet, etc.

Panic attacks in women with the correct and effective treatment are completely and without complications. Do not wait for the situation to worsen, contact the experts.

Panic attacks in men - does it happen? Imagine yes! According to statistics, the female sex is most often exposed to stress and panic - increased emotionality always keeps pace with fear. But there is other information as well. Men who, from childhood, are accustomed to keep their emotions and fears deep inside, and to put forward a successful, active position in life, are just as prone to panic, and even more so.

Suppressed emotions are a spring that cannot be compressed indefinitely. Sooner or later, she opens up, and everything that was hidden under her press comes out: childhood phobias, youthful failures, fears and fears. For some men, a panic attack becomes a real surprise and a real nightmare, because the rhythm of life and the suggested rules did not allow them to pay attention to the first symptoms in time.

Are all men alarmists, or were they made that way?

Psychologists say that hypochondria lives literally in the genes of a man, but there is a scientific explanation for this.

From childhood, the boy is instilled with the role of "protector" and "breadwinner", who simply does not have the right to cry, complain and get sick. If he showed even the slightest weakness, this is immediately severely suppressed by educators, teachers, and the parents themselves.

« You're a boy, so it doesn't hurt you!" - such is the paradox.

But the boy is not a robot, but a living person who is completely natural to be afraid, experience and feel pain, physical and emotional. When a child is convinced that his pain and emotions are unnatural, an internal contradiction arises. Why are men more likely than women to have heart attacks, cancer, and adrenaline crises? Not because of the oddities of nature, but because of the rules in society.

The vast majority of male diseases (including panic attacks in men ) - these are childish experiences locked inside about inconsistency with the opinions of others. At first, the boy begins to suggest to himself that he does not feel anything. Then he begins to brush aside all kinds of treatment: a toothache or a headache - no need for a doctor, it doesn’t hurt so much, it will pass.

Meanwhile, deep in the subconscious lives a terrible truth: in fact, it hurts me, I can even become seriously ill at any moment and I won’t be able to call for help because they will shame me! The spring of panic begins to shrink more and more densely, and hypochondria - to grow. And in the prime of life, from 25 to 45 years old, this spring suddenly breaks down...

How does it manifest itself?

If a man is a typical VVDshnik who, to a certain extent, was lucky with his parents (they were allowed to complain and adequately responded to poor health in childhood), the symptoms of panic attacks are familiar to him from school age. But if the boy intensely suppressed any manifestations of VVD in himself, or he was lucky enough to bypass dystonia, in adulthood the meeting with panic attacks turns out to be a complete surprise.

The nervous system can react to anything: change of weather, recent stress, physical overwork, SARS, lack of sleep. Panic attacks in men tend to appear quite suddenly, seemingly out of the blue. After all, nothing supernatural happened for a man: stress, poor health - it was before, he was used to living with it. And a sudden release of adrenaline, along with which comes a wild fear of death, simply discourages a man, deprives him of all considerations. Typically, a panic attack manifests itself in a standard way:

• From the ejected adrenaline, blood pressure jumps sharply, the heartbeat quickens, panic overtakes;
• Cold sweat breaks through, chills, a tremor begins in the abdominal region;
• The perception of oneself and the surrounding reality changes;
• There is a persistent feeling of imminent death out of the blue;
• Hands and feet get cold;
• Attacks of suffocation appear due to the developed hyperventilation of the lungs (an excess of oxygen disrupts respiratory functions and sensations - it seems to a person that air does not enter inside, while the lungs are full of it to failure);

Depending on personal characteristics, a certain reaction follows. A too hypochondriacal, insecure person can freeze like an idol, goggling his eyes, desperately listening to the beating of the heart and expecting inevitable death. More desperate, determined people are often able to pull themselves together, take a sedative or high blood pressure drug - whatever is at hand. But both of them fall into a vicious circle of tension, expectation and a new panic attack.

A man immediately ceases to feel like a full-fledged "protector" and "breadwinner". Instilled from childhood, the rules do not allow you to fall into the dirt in front of your life principles. It is impossible to change the rhythm of life - too much is at stake: family, career.

Panic attacks in men are especially difficult to tolerate against the background of illness. Chronic alcoholics, heart patients, neurotics, as well as men who have been successful figures and athletes all their lives, and then suddenly acquired a disability, are more susceptible to panic attacks and endure them much harder than "ordinary" men. Both require immediate consultation with a psychotherapist, as well as a radical change in lifestyle and habits.

Panic attacks do not bring death, but, having become regular guests in a man's life, they undermine his psychological state and aggravate existing ailments. If you ignore this problem, without changing anything in your life, you can destroy everything that you tried so hard for even faster.

A little boy can be easily convinced that he is devoid of emotions and pain, but an adult man is able to step over this false and dangerous attitude, thereby increasing his successes and achievements.

Panic Attacks: Causes, Symptoms, How to Manage and Treat

What is a panic attack? People of the older generation, who endured the hardships of the war and the post-war restoration of the national economy, in general, were not familiar with such a term, except that psychotherapists used it in their conversations. But modern man often "falls into depression." What is it connected with?

Widespread computerization, stuffy offices, a “crazy” rhythm of life and the desire to keep abreast of events around us at all costs often tire a person so much that his psyche begins to refuse to work in such conditions and speeds and responds with attacks of fear, anxiety, internal discomfort. The environmental situation and events in the international arena only contribute to the aggravation of the situation.

Panic attacks, the prerequisite for the occurrence of which is modern life, are themselves often the cause and manifestation of various psychological problems that overcome the future patient of psychiatric doctors. Probably, our high-tech, "advanced" in all respects, century somehow contributes to the development of new syndromes that are in the competence of specialists studying the central nervous system and its activities? Perhaps this is true and it is worth talking about.

Emotions and Vegetation

Why do panic attacks happen? Probably, in order to understand the origin of the pathology, given its versatility, it is better to divide the causes of occurrence into two groups: predisposing and defiant.

to the prerequisites Causes of panic attacks include:

List of factors causing and forming panic fears, includes:

1. Psychotraumatic circumstances, emotional stress.
2. Excessive amount of physical activity, high sexual activity.
3. Great mental stress, prolonged stay in the virtual space, excessive passion for computer games.
4. Lack of fresh air, hypodynamia, deficiency of vitamins and microelements, malnutrition.
5. Climatic conditions that are not suitable for a particular person, an increased level of background radiation and the environmental situation in general.
6. chronic infections.
7. Diseases of the respiratory system, gastrointestinal tract, cardiovascular pathology, hormonal imbalance, nervous diseases.
8. Traumatic brain injury.
9. The use of alcohol in excessive quantities, psychotropic drugs on their own initiative, drug addiction, addiction to drinks containing caffeine.

In addition, panic fears can be caused by long-standing events in a person’s life that left a spiritual wound (separation, betrayal, betrayal) or nostalgic experiences.

the scheme of occurrence and “cycle” of panic attacks

Phobias formed for various reasons (falling from a height, failure in an exam, a stopped elevator, a thunderstorm, etc.) leave somewhere in the depths of consciousness the focus of panic attacks, although the case itself is erased from memory. For example, having fallen in childhood even from an insignificant height, but at the same time, being very frightened, a person will be afraid of her for life. Thunderbolts followed by a fire seen in early childhood will cause panic fear already at the appearance of an impending black cloud.

Failure to pass exams also sometimes belongs to this category of reasons. Panic begins even before entering the classroom, all learned material disappears from the head. Unfortunately, some people never manage to get rid of the panic that occurs at certain periods, and they stop studying at higher educational institutions, not looking at the excellent natural data.

Symptom, syndrome or individual disease?

What “panic attack” can mean already follows from the name of this concept: panic, fear, anxiety, occurring episodically without warning. That is why it is an attack, so as not to depend on the desire of a person, but to arise spontaneously, starting somewhere from the inside, behind the sternum or in the throat area. Panic attacks can also occur situationally, when a person finds himself in an environment that creates discomfort, for example, in a room without windows, from which you want to escape faster, because a sudden surging feeling of anxiety and tension prevents you from being there. Perhaps, after reading about the symptoms of a panic attack, some of us will try on its symptoms for ourselves.

When there's no reason to worry

Panic attacks start at some point (not everyone, of course). And if this happened for the first time in a person who is confident in his health, then the feeling of discomfort during an incomprehensible attack is considered by some as an accidental episode that has nothing to do with pathology. True, when the attack is repeated, the patient states that "this has already happened to him."

• A panic attack can occur, as they say, out of the blue, but it only seems. For example, a person lay down to watch TV calmly before going to bed, and suddenly thoughts about recently experienced troubles crept in, or some trifle prompted memories of bygone days. My heart pounded, my chest tightened, a lump rose in my throat ....
• Panic fear seizes suddenly: the pulse quickens, throws into sweat, it is difficult to breathe, the whole body trembles, cold sweat breaks through, dizziness may end. Noise in the ears, detachment from reality and loss of it, anxiety, fear for the outcome of what happened knocks a person out of the usual rhythm of life, however, in most cases - not for long. Most often, such a condition qualifies as, since the participation of the autonomic nervous system is obvious.
• Often, such panic conditions occur in women after childbirth. Fear for the baby, especially if the young mother is left alone for a long time, leads to the fact that she begins to be afraid for her actions (“the child is defenseless, it is easy to throw him out the window, scald, drown him ...”). Of course, these thoughts are caused by fear for the life of the little man, the mother will not harm him, but she begins to panic in fear of going crazy and losing control of herself. By the way, the fear of insanity and loss of control is quite often a companion of a panic state, therefore it haunts not only women on maternity leave, but also patients with various types of neuroses.
• Individual patients cannot tolerate a specific environment: elevator, bus, crowd, metro, that is, situations that cause far-hidden phobias, which the patient usually knows about, so he tries to avoid them or escape faster if they are due to unforeseen circumstances. Under other, comfortable conditions for themselves, they consider themselves absolutely healthy people.
• Panic accompanied by anxiety of unknown origin(like everything is normal in life?), often appears at night. A person wakes up abruptly from fear and horror, which subsequently does not allow falling asleep for a long time, or in the morning, providing a bad mood for the day. The attack lasts from a few minutes to an hour, and even when it lets go, the patient continues to be afraid and wait for the next attack, which are sometimes quite frequent.

In a state of panic, the patient is agitated, worried, he says that he anticipates an impending disaster, seeks help and understanding from loved ones, but at first (or even never) does not turn to medicine, trying to fight on his own.

The patient knows what he is afraid of

Patients in this category, with the exception of adolescents who have entered the age of hormonal changes, are experienced people. They know exactly what they are waiting for and what they are afraid of. In such cases, a panic attack is very difficult to differentiate from panic disorders. An ordinary person (and a doctor of another profession), being weak in psychiatry, is unlikely to draw a line between these concepts, because they are so similar. However, this is the business of specialists, and our task is to recognize the symptoms of a panic attack.

1. Panic attacks are often accompanied by chronic pathology of various systems: respiratory (bronchial asthma), endocrine (thyrotoxicosis, tumor of the adrenal cortex), digestive (irritable bowel syndrome), nervous and cardiovascular. (wide range of diseases). Waiting for a relapse, constant internal tension leads to panic attacks, which in such a situation are the only complaint (and symptom) of the underlying disease without exacerbation.
2. Such attacks are very typical for the pathology of the cardiovascular system. First of all, panic attacks haunt patients who are diagnosed, which is completely natural and understandable. Meanwhile, such diseases, as well as, often have anxiety and panic fear as companions, which come along with the symptoms of cardialgia. Horror, panic, a sense of impending death or madness (for each person in a different way) are rather unpleasant symptoms of an attack.
3. Transient states of anxiety and fear are very typical for adolescence or menopause, which is primarily due to the influence of hormones. Attacks of tachycardia, dizziness, jumps, suffocation, bad mood and disturbed sleep - all this fits into the clinical manifestations of vegetative-vascular paroxysms. Complaints presented during a visit to the doctor are the basis for appropriate therapy. With regard to panic attacks, its symptoms and individual treatment, such issues are rarely considered, only in severe cases. Since it can be very difficult to distinguish between these states, and the drugs prescribed by the therapist, as a rule, help, then the consultation of a psychotherapist is not prescribed for everyone.
4. The symptoms of a panic attack acquire a special, most vivid coloring in alcoholics during withdrawal. There they are all gathered together: trembling, tachycardia, melancholy, a pessimistic assessment of the future, a feeling of self-pity, a premonition of death (“my heart is about to stop”) and a firm belief that “if I manage to survive, then I will stop drinking.” The panic attacks associated with such a causative factor soon disappear, but they recur with a new binge or when alcohol has already caused significant harm to the body, even if the person has “tied up” with a bad habit.

Thus, vegetative disorders (episodes of general weakness, non-systemic dizziness, fainting spells, internal trembling, spastic pain in the stomach, and), as well as emotional and affective symptoms of a panic attack, manifested by fear of death, insanity, committing a rash act, are signs of one pathology, however, this does not mean that they will all manifest at the same time.

A sign linking different psychopathological conditions

Many patients who are haunted by attacks, panics and fears already have a record in the card about their presence (dystonia, neurosis, panic disorder or depressive syndrome. In general, there is no clear boundary between these diagnoses, therefore only specialists in this field can separate them. In the American classification of mental illness, these concepts are summarized and under the name "panic disorders" are included in the class of "anxiety conditions".

Among the listed pathological disorders, a panic attack often appears, which is a syndrome that is often called a sympathoadrenal or vegetative crisis, which, however, does not reflect the mental origin of the paroxysm. Such patients in most cases are being treated for NCD and need mainly emotional correction. However, episodic panic attacks should still be distinguished from panic disorders and depressive states, where a panic attack is one of the signs (symptoms) of a disease that requires a strictly individual approach and treatment by a psychotherapist.

Panic Disorders

Panic disorder is characterized by focusing the patient's attention on a single problem, for example, they are afraid for "their heart". This often happens after the transferred. The fear of sudden death due to untimely medical care makes a person be in tension all the time, do not go far from home and constantly monitor their condition. As a result - panic, attacks of weakness, palpitations, suffocation, which really begin to poison a person's life.

Fear for “your gut” is probably the second leading cause of panic disorder. Everyone knows that the famous “bear disease” that destroys plans and poisons life arises on a nervous basis, and fears and anxieties arise on the basis of the “bear disease” that cause indigestion. Vicious circle.

The cause of concern is often the transferred operations on the organs of the gastrointestinal tract and their consequence - adhesive disease. Listening anxiously to his feelings, terrified of intestinal obstruction, a person experiences severe discomfort and thus involuntarily contributes to the fact that attacks become even more frequent.

Panic disorders often accompany other psychopathological conditions (alcoholism, taking certain psychotropic drugs, depressive syndrome).

neurotic states

Without the accompaniment of a panic attack, where it is also a symptom of the underlying disease, it is difficult to imagine such a psychogenic disorder as neurosis. Similar neurotic disorders arise on the basis of various psychotraumatic situations in people endowed by nature with certain personal characteristics (psychotype). The worst thing is that it is your own character that does not allow you to defeat these situations. The personal conflict formed under such circumstances is manifested by a violation of the function of the emotional-vegetative-somatic sphere.

The variety of clinical manifestations of neuroses often makes it difficult to differentiate them from each other and a clear distinction from another similar pathology.

Neurosis is called a certain module of response to various life events., but the fact that neurotic disorders of any origin are accompanied by the occurrence of panic attacks is not in doubt either among psychiatrists or among specialists in related professions. Psychovegetative syndrome in these cases is also a response to stress and a traumatic situation.

Depression

Do not leave panic attacks and in case depressive states. Patients understand that their bad mood is not ordinary sadness, because the “soul hurts” so much that it does not allow you to sleep, eat and just live fully. Waking up early with an already strong feeling of anxiety, which is considered a characteristic sign of depression, despondency, irritability or apathy, loss of appetite and therefore weight loss, as well as many other symptoms. The patient (does not fall asleep without sleeping pills), his eyes do not dry out from tears, his face expresses universal sorrow, the present and future are seen in gloomy colors.

With depression without therapy, the patient quickly loses interest in life and work, focuses on his problems, "withdraws into himself" and allows suicidal thoughts. Drowning out frequent bouts of mental pain with an accidentally turned up medicine, alcohol (which is even worse) or, God forbid, drugs, the patient only aggravates his condition. Such phenomena require the mandatory intervention of specialists if they continue for more than two weeks. By the way, oddly enough, but patients with severe forms of depression respond better to treatment than people with a mild degree.

How to deal with panic attacks on your own?

Attempts to get rid of the panic attack syndrome, its symptoms and manifestations on their own, yield results in 50% of patients. In 20% of cases, attacks continue episodically, but no significant changes in the condition of patients are observed. However, 30% of sufferers may develop depression, which, without treatment, is in no hurry to leave. At the same time, anxiety attacks also do not leave the person and still visit, but already as a symptom of another disease.

Often a person goes to the doctor when he has already diagnosed himself: depression or neurosis, in general, what he knows and what he has heard, but only a specialist psychotherapist can do this. Unfortunately, the professional referral of a physician often deters patients. In addition to sudden panic fears and anxieties, the patient may experience fear of doctors of this profile. But in vain, because from a panic attack, only noticing its symptoms, you can get rid of it by taking the appropriate treatment.

The ideal option for starting the treatment of panic attacks is still considered to be a consultation with a psychotherapist. Considering the problem in the psychiatric plane, success can be achieved faster, since the doctor, having indicated the psychogenic origin of the disorders, will prescribe therapy in accordance with the degree of emotional-vegetative disorders.

Therapy without "serious" drugs

When everything has not gone very far, a thoughtful and experienced doctor in this field will try to do without the influence of strong psychotropic drugs, and if he prescribes pharmaceutical drugs, they will be from the group of mild tranquilizers and light sleeping pills.

Therapy for mild forms of panic disorder at first includes:

• psychotherapy, able to bring out the cause of anxiety and panic attacks and change the attitude towards them.
• Help in regulation of the work and rest regime, promoting a healthy lifestyle, eliminating bad habits, limiting the use of strong coffee and tea.
• Autotraining: self-regulation of psycho-emotional and vegetative disorders, suppression of negative emotions, mental relaxation. The elimination of panic disorders is achieved with the help of special gymnastics to relax the skeletal muscles, breathing exercises that regulate the rhythm of heart contractions and vascular blood flow, as well as verbal formulas pronounced in strict sequence.
• traditions of Ayurveda, the source of which is Indian yoga, of course, are good, but mastering knowledge in this area is a difficult and time-consuming task, so it is unlikely that you will be able to deal with panic attacks on your own in this way. However, if a person “knows a lot about such a thing,” then why not try?
• transcendental meditation according to modern ideas, it can help a person get rid of panic fears, anxieties, overcome fatigue and gain new health. To do this, you need to find only a good teacher (guru), who has deep knowledge and really knows how to help.
• Swimming pool, massage and various physiotherapy treatments.
• Acupuncture- a wonderful method of dealing with negative emotions and autonomic disorders: soothes, relaxes, uplifting.
• Spa treatment, it hardly makes sense to describe the merits of which, everything is already clear: such therapy, in fact, can change life for the better for a long time.
• Light sedatives: sedative collection (valerian, peppermint, trileaf watch, hop cones), motherwort tincture, valerian, valerian tablets, adaptol, afobazole, novo-passit and other over-the-counter drugs.

The criterion for the effectiveness of the treatment is a decrease in the frequency of panic attacks and vegetative crises, or even their complete disappearance.

Video: exercises for stopping a panic attack

The doctor will prescribe the necessary medicines

While maintaining a sense of anxiety and fear (after the health and therapeutic measures taken), the need for treatment with stronger drugs becomes obvious, however, in this case, the doctor goes from less to more:

Strong psychotropic drugs with antidepressant effects are not intended for the treatment of panic attacks as an isolated syndrome, they are used in the treatment of severe forms of depression. Prescribing, prescribing, and withdrawing similar drugs exclusively by a psychotherapist, and patients take the medicine for a long time according to the scheme, designated by a doctor. It should be recalled that these drugs are not simple, they do not tolerate self-activity, therefore it is better for the patient himself not to try to use them on his own initiative, because they have a lot of contraindications, restrictions and precautions.

Video: doctor's opinion about panic attacks