| Copyright (c) 2007 Kevin Reilly | | | | What does Fight-or-Flight response mean? |
| | | | When your body senses danger, your adrenalin |
| After a panic attack has occurred, many times | | | | will kick in. This usually occurs when you |
| a visit to the emergency room follows to | | | | feel fear that something might happen or is |
| ensure that a heart attack, stroke, or some | | | | happening. The Fight-or-Flight response is |
| other serious ailment has not just happened. | | | | discussed in more detail in our next article. |
| After every test possible, the doctor comes | | | | These sensations lead us to believe that |
| up with a diagnosis. He tells you that all | | | | they are symptoms of some type of serious |
| of your tests have come back negative and | | | | underlying illness, or that we are |
| what you are experiencing is normal and | | | | experiencing a major health risk. |
| harmless. He explains that you are | | | | |
| experiencing panic attacks. The doctor | | | | Many individuals that have encountered these |
| prescribes medicine, a follow up checkup with | | | | dreadful panic attacks feel as if they are |
| your general practitioner, and then sends you | | | | losing control and worse yet, going crazy. |
| on your way. As the doctor is explaining | | | | The fear that is caused by these sensations |
| this, thoughts are racing through your mind. | | | | leads us into being apprehensive about going |
| How can this be normal and harmless? The | | | | out into the public. These attacks affect |
| doctor just cannot be right. He has to be | | | | our sleep. We tend to constantly need to |
| missing something. After leaving the | | | | sleep in order to escape from the attacks |
| hospital and feeling as if the doctor has | | | | because it is on our mind from the time we |
| completely misdiagnosed your situation, you | | | | wake up until the time we go to sleep. The |
| have decided to take it upon yourself to | | | | bad news is that you can experience a panic |
| grasp what this new diagnosis means. | | | | attack even in your sleep! The good news is |
| | | | that there are treatments and remedies that |
| Grasping the fact that the diagnosis of panic | | | | you can take to overcome these attacks. |
| attacks is correct is the first step to | | | | |
| conquering them. According to The Lancet, | | | | It is a common fact that women experience |
| panic attacks are sudden, sometimes | | | | panic attacks more than men. However, both |
| unexpected paroxysmal bursts of severe | | | | can be subjected to it. Whether male or |
| anxiety accompanied by several physical | | | | female, the attacks are very distressful. At |
| symptoms. (eg. Cardio respiratory, | | | | some point in their lifetime, millions will |
| otoneurological, gastrointestinal, or | | | | experience these distressful attacks and will |
| autonomic) Such attacks are often striking | | | | be searching for answers like you. Now that |
| in their initial presentation, affect the | | | | you know what panic attacks are, you should |
| individual's function, and could be | | | | learn what the symptoms (sensations) are so |
| progressive and disabling, especially if | | | | you can identify them next time with your |
| accompanied by agoraphobia (an extreme form | | | | panic attack. Grasping panic attacks is your |
| of phobic avoidance). (Roy-Byrne & Steine, | | | | first step to recovery! |
| 2006) In other words, panic attacks are | | | | |
| caused from a build up of stress and anxiety, | | | | Reference: Roy-Byrne, P., Craske, M., & |
| which led you to feel sensations in many | | | | Stein, M. (2006, September 16). Panic |
| areas of your body. You then experience the | | | | disorder. Lancet, 368(9540), 1023-1032. |
| Fight-or-Flight response. | | | | Retrieved November 12, 2007, from Psychology |
| | | | and Behavioral Sciences Collection database. |