Panic Attacks Symptoms - The Caregiver

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Panic Attacks --Why Do They
Feel This Way?

continued:

What Martin, Terri and Luke had in common was a normal body chemistry reaction to a frightening situation. The difference was, of course, there was no outside reason for Luke to suddenly go to "battle stations".

Many professionals feel that a panic attack is a normal response to a very dangerous situation but without there being anything dangerous to trigger it. The body has just gone into to panic mode on its own and the person has no more control over it than had either Martin or Terri.

I have come to believe, to some extent, that if a person can think through what is happening to them during a panic attack, they can break the cycle of becoming more afraid thus causing even more panic. That doesn't work for everyone but, as a support person, it will be useful for you to know what is behind the strange feelings.

In the table below, I listed the symptom and gave the major cause. Of course, they are all interrelated but I just wanted to keep it simple.

Hope this information helps.

Ken

SYMPTOMS	CAUSES
Heart Pounding	Heart speeding up to move blood and oxygen faster.
Breathing faster	Obtaining more oxygen for the muscles
Chest pain	Muscles tightening.
Rubbery legs	Blood supply building up in the legs/decreased oxygen to the brain
Feeling of Dissociation	Less blood going to the brain and/or some think a trance state is almost reached.
Bright lights are disturbing	Pupils have opened for more acute vision
Walls are bending inwards	An effect of the pupils opening wide
Sweating	The body is harder to hold onto in a fight
Numbness in hands	Due to the diversion of blood to the muscles
Tingling in mouth	A result of hyperventilating
Choking sensation	Due to muscle tension
Shaking	Due to muscle tension

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The Caregiver

Panic Attacks --Why Do They Feel This Way?

Panic Attacks --Why Do They
Feel This Way?