Panic attacks physical symptoms, causes and how to manage them: expert advice

Lastly it was Paola Egonu to talk about it, but before her, just to mention more famous champions, she had been Federica Pellegrini: even very large as they have suffered from panic attacks. Because if it is true that on a physical level very few can reach certain goals, on a psychic level there are veils that fall unexpectedly without making distinctions. “The panic attacks they can affect anyone, for only once in their life or more times, going to configure what is called a real panic disorder. But the feeling, whether it is once in a lifetime or multiple times, is always the same: the heart runs fast, breathlessness, you sweat and you think you are about to die, or go crazy, certainly. lose control of your body ”, explains a Official Active Professor Valentina Di Mattei, clinical psychologist at the San Raffaele Hospital in Milan and associate of Psychology at the Vita-Salute San Raffaele University.

Panic attacks: symptoms –

And if one state of anxiety certainly distinguishes the panic attacks, these, compared to other anxiety disorders, have specific symptoms: “They are episodes of intense fear associated with severe anxiety crises, which are characterized by having a series of symptoms both from a physical and cognitive point of view. Some symptoms frequent are palpitations, tachycardia, the feeling of having the heart in the throat, irregular, accelerated beats, a feeling of skidding, instability, dizziness, vertigo, tremors, sweating increased, especially in the hands, a feeling of shortness of breath, difficulty in breathing, almost a feeling of suffocation. These are the physical symptoms more classic, so much so that often a panic attack is mistaken for a heart attack and first of all it is necessary to carry out investigations on this side to exclude possible organic causes. From the point of view of the more psychological-cognitive symptoms, one is often felt very strong fear of dying, of going crazy or to lose control ”. However, it must be said, Professor Di Mattei remembers, that panic attacks can be different from one person to another and also change in the same person, who once experiences some symptoms and another. “What characterizes panic attacks is also the duration, which is usually between 5 and 20 minutes, with a maximum duration of one hour. The levels of anxiety rise rapidly and then decrease physiologically, alone, without the need to do anything, even if in reality something can be done to reduce its intensity ”, explains the psychologist.

Isolated panic attacks and panic disorder –

An important distinction is that between thepanic attack which can come once in a lifetime, linked to a particularly stressful situation such as bereavement or illness, and the panic disorder, which sees more panic attacks repeated over time: “The isolated panic attack, once in a lifetime, happens to about 10% of the population. In this case, the person often does not even come to the attention of the specialist. What is different are recurrent panic attacks, not associated with a specific situation “. And it is precisely when panic attacks are repeated that the very strong sensations linked to the attack itself are joined by another: “The fear of fear. We enter a vicious circle whereby we begin to be afraid of other attacks, which are thus triggered by the fear itself. Some may also be accompanied by agorafobia, therefore associated with the fear of certain places that the person thus begins to avoid. For example, if a person has a panic attack while driving, then they will tend to avoid being alone in the car. And this implies an important decline in the quality of life of the subject ”, recalls Professor Di Mattei.

Causes of panic attack –

In addition to bereavement, even a situation such as that linked to the pandemic of Covid, ai lockdown e all’isolation influenced the occurrence of panic attacks: “In this period there have been more. Once experienced, then, it is possible for the person to experience it again. But there are some predisposing factors: first of all the familiarity and then the gender, because the women suffer more from it. There is also a link with the depression and with other psychological pathologies, such as some eating disorders, in particular theanorexia, and other anxiety disorders, a large category into which panic attacks fall. But also the excessive intake of some stimulants such as caffeine or energizing drinks it can have undesirable effects ”, explains Di Mattei.

How to cure a panic attack –

From panic attacks, however, it is possible to heal, assures Professor Di Mattei: “The therapy it is both pharmacological and psychological, the choice of one or the other depends on the intensity and severity of the symptoms, as well as on how much they interfere with the subject’s daily life. The prevailing approach is the combined one, pharmacotherapy in association with a psychotherapeutic intervention. Panic disorder is one of the few cases in which, sometimes, the therapist physically accompanies the patient to the feared places to initiate a process of decondizionamento and work on the negative associations linked to that context ”, remembers the psychologist. But there are also ‘sweet’ techniques that can help: “The breathing it is very important, but also relaxation techniques and control of negative emotions such as mindfulness meditation. At the level of psychological therapy, the most used is the cognitive-behavioral, which also makes use of strategies to break the association between physical sensations and catastrophic thinking that is triggered automatically “.

Sports and panic attacks –

Also it sport it can help: “A simple brisk walk or a light jog involve the cardiovascular and pulmonary systems and can be beneficial,” explains Professor Di Mattei. Sport at a competitive levelon the contrary, it can in some cases generate such a great stress that it causes panic attacks, as in the case of Paola Egonu and Federica Pellegrini: “If it causes stress it can happen. Many sportsmen suffer from it. It is the effect of pressure, of performance anxiety, which can be a trigger ”.

What to do when you have a panic attack –

But what exactly should you do if you have a panic attack? “Asking for a specialist opinion is important because it is a situation that can become chronic, activating the vicious circle of fear of fear, although it should be remembered that it is possible for a person to experience it only once in a lifetime ”, reiterates Professor Di Mattei. “And then try to remember that it passes, it always passes. The first time, above all, you think you won’t be able to get out alive, but that’s not the case: you survive panic attacks ”.