What is a Panic Attack?
Panic attacks, which affect roughly one-third of Americans, and perhaps many more who are simply unaware that they are even suffering from panic attacks, involve a period of intense, often overwhelming and irrational, fear of distress that are usually associated with other fears. Lasting for roughly thirty minutes or so, and occasionally much shorter or longer, there are several primary symptoms associated with the panic attacks. For example, those who have experienced them generally state that there is a brief onset of trembling, followed by a shortness of breath. These are considered the minor symptoms, although for those who experience a heavier, longer panic attacks, symptoms can and usually are much more severe. Ranging from heart palpitations to hyperventilation to choking or smothering, panic attacks can cause an individual severe pain and can have lasting consequences.
There is a general consensus among the medical community that panic attacks stem from other phobias, or fears, which in turn triggers a panic attack upon exposure to these fears. If a person suffers from acrophobia, or fear of heights, for instance, upon flying in an airplane, this phobia may be triggered, causing the person to enter a panicked state and, hence, have a panic attack. During a panic attack, the "flight vs. fight" reaction comes into play and the person experiencing the attack suddenly has an overwhelming desire to leave the situation they are currently in. Moreover, chest pains or restricted breathing often accompanies this "flight vs. fight" reaction and this, potentially leading to feelings of impending doom, frequently spurs the sufferer to seek medical attention.
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More and more research has been done comparing men and women when it comes to panic attacks, and one conclusion that has come from this research is that women, more than men, are disposed to panic attacks.
Panic attack news on the Web
Kiwis panic as tactics are exposed
THE All Blacks have scrambled into damage control after their tactics sheet for the Bledisloe Cup match in Melbourne was accidentally revealed. |
'No need to panic about Panjo'
The Mpumalanga Parks and Tourism Agency says there is no need for people to panic after a number of reported sightings of escaped tiger Panjo in the province. |
Wi-Fi WPA2 Vulnerability FAQ
AirTight Networks says it's found a weak point in Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 (WPA2), the mainstay of enterprise Wi-Fi security. But has it? Security expert Matthew Gast says the attack seems to be a familiar ARP spoofing exploit that works as well on wired as wireless LANS. If so, it can easily be contained. |
Swimmer helped to shore
Observer Staff Lifeguards at the main beach in Grand Bend helped a swimmer in distress reach shore safely Tuesday afternoon, according to Lambton OPP. The 46-year-old London man had an apparent panic attack while swimming 15 to 20 metres from shore at around 5:20 p.m.[...] |
A return to Amity: 'You're gonna need a bigger boat'
(Universal Pictures) By Globe Staff The recent sightings of several great white sharks off Chatham conjure memories for movie buffs: Amity. 1975. Fear. "Jaws," filmed on Martha's Vineyard, made even reasonable people think twice about going in the water.... |
Explosions cause panic in Afghan capital
Two big explosions caused panic in Afghan capital Kabul Monday morning, while official said no explosions occurred in Kabul. "There was no explosion in Kabul on Monday," said Zahir Azimi, the spokesman for Afghan Defense Ministry. |
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