Panic Attacks, Symptoms, Causes and Coping Strategies

These panic attacks, also known as panic disorder or anxiety attacks affected my daughter from the age of 8 years old, myself at age 31, and my father in his mid 50's. This indicates two points which may be of interest. Firstly it can run in families and secondly it can happen to anyone at any age.

My father was the first to be affected following the death of his aged mother whom he had doted on and vice versa, visiting her frequently. It was therefore a close bond between them and so when she died he was extremely upset, crying for days on end, something I had never seen him do before.

For myself, I started my panic attacks after returning from a safari holiday, during which I swallowed lots of dust in to my lungs which caused me to become asthmatic for the first time ever, and I was under a great deal of pressure at work. The combination caused me to have my first attack out in a London Street on my way home after a hard day's work.

My daughter had her first panic attack whilst we were travelling to get to Wales for a holiday. She finds travelling stressful whether it is the change from home or the actual means of transport or change in routine.

With my father, his first panic attack and subsequent ones hit whilst he was driving his car. He had to pull over to the side of the road as the symptoms he felt were an over whelming feeling of fear, being unable to breathe, and buzzing in the head. He actually thought he was having a heart attack, a possibility as an ex-smoker. Fortunately he had a friend in the car at the time, who took over the driving on one occasion but on another occasion he was unaccompanied.

I continued to struggle in to work but had other anxiety attacks which drained me physically until it turned in to depression. I knew I wasn't well when I was no longer able to hum a tune - no joke. My partner took me to the Doctors.. I woke up once in bed with a full blown panic attack, a place you would think would be of comfort . I feIt symptoms like I couldn't breathe. I was actually so wound up, I felt my shoulders were up round my ears. Again there was that feeling that nothing around mattered, with a buzzing in the head with my tongue so tense at the back of the throat I could barely swallow. You are constantly thinking inside your head and don't notice what is going on around you.

I remember getting another anxiety attack whilst walking by the River Thames, a lovely day for a walk but everything was focused on the sensations in my chest, throat and head.

My daughter had her first anxiiety attack whilst we were holidaying in Wales. A fire alarm went off in the night in the hotel. It turned out to be a fire alarm practice. Later in the holiday she had a panic attack in the car. I didn't realise my daughter was having anxiety attacks and thought she was just travel sick. She had similar symptoms to myself . Another time we had to drive her to the hospital when she had a panic attack in the comfort (!) of her own home at night doing nothing in particular. By then I was beginning to recognise she was having a panic attack but as with all children, needed for it to be checked at the hospital.

photo credit Fire Head here

My father was checked over to make sure he didn't have a heart problem. It is always important to have people checked in this way even if you suspect it is caused by an anxiety attack. He was given some relaxation exercises to do with a recording which he played as many times as he felt necessary. He was already on compassionate leave from work and could extend this until he felt better. He later recommended this relaxation recording to me. It was available free of charge on the NHS or you may wish to buy a subliminal relaxation recording from here.. I used similar recordings and found them very relaxing.

I was first sent a psychiatrist to my home, of all days on my birthday, to assess if there were any underlying major problems. I think they were looking to see if I was being bullied or beaten and couldn't quite understand at first that it was just (!) over work and ill health due to breathing asthmatic problems which triggered it in my case.

I was also given the same relaxation recording and exercises to do as my father. I went on to learn Transcendental Meditation, I have also read a number of books on the nature of panic attacks (panic disorder, anxiety attacks) and on how to overcome them. I detail some of these Amazon books below. I later found a book based on the same methods used in Transcendental Meditation but a much cheaper option. See Calm Technique: Simple Meditation Techniques That Really Work for details.

I also found the books written by Claire Weekes of great help Essential Help for Your Nerves: Recover from Nervous Fatigue and Overcome Stress and Fear

My daughter has suffered subsequent panic attacks whenever confronted with the prospect of not being in control of her surroundings. This has included a visit to a darkened cinema and the refusal to get on a plane to a holiday to Europe which resulted in her, at age 16, going back home without the family, very worrying for all concerned., including the passengers on the plane who wondered why their plane was delayed - now you know what can cause a delay, as her baggage had to be taken off the aircraft again. (Safety issue regarding unclaimed baggage at the other end.)

She has used hypnosis relaxation recordings and has just managed to go on a short flight getting on the actual plane. She is also considering one-to-one hypnosis sessions. You may like to try these MP3 hypnosis downloads here.She uses Rescue Remedy to help calm her which you can buy on Ebay. There is always the possibility of getting a small amount of Diazapam from your Doctor but I would recommend avoiding such means as it is better to employ natural methods in the long term.

You may find the following forum thread of interest PureCalm or Seredyn for panic attacks?. Please note that natural remedies may have side effects, just as chemical medication can have adverse effects on your health or disrupt the effect of medication, including the contraceptive pill in the case of St John's Wort. It is for you to make an informed choice.

I went on to learn transcendental meditation, which was rather expensive (£250 in 1991). This helped to a certain degree. Later I explored acupuncture but as this involved needles in my forehead, I did't' go more than once.

I then went on to using a float tank - very relaxing and shades of Edina in Ab Fab - makes me laugh when I see the float episode - mine was an open cabin tank and not a coffin type, at a place near Black Heath.

There was one night, after a float session when I was waiting outside for my taxi home, when a couple were having an argument in a flat above me and an iron flew out of the window, fortunately still plugged in so it didn't land on anyone below but on the whole it was a relaxing experience going to the float centre.

I eventually settled for regular sessions of reflexology ( pressure point foot massage) with back ground floaty music which I enjoyed very much. My first session was at a natural health centre in London but subsequent sessions were conducted at my home. This continued as I found it enjoyable and later had sessions through out my pregnancy. I have also read a number of books detailing the nature of panic attacks (panic disorder, anxiety attacks) and on how to overcome them. I detail these below . I read stories of people who had suffered panic attacks for years and was determined I wouldn't be one of them. These books help you to understand the causes and how to overcome panic disorder.

The other thing you learn from these books and links is that you are not alone in your suffering and there is plenty of help out there..

If you do only one thing when a panic attack hits, try to blow all the air out of your lungs through your mouth, to the very last bit.

This will force you to come out of the shallow over-breathing cycle that causes all the other scarey symptoms

You may suffer some or all of the following symptoms

Rapid heartbeat
Sweats and shakes
Choking feeling, lump in throat
Short of breath
Pain in chest
Feel you are sick
Feel dizzy
Feeling you may faint
Very fearful
Think you are going mad
Pins and needles
Not aware of your surroundings

The physical symptoms that occur with panic attacks do not mean there is a physical problem with the heart, chest, etc. But if this is your first panic attack or someone is having their first attack it is always best to take them to the hospital.

The science behind this is that if you over-breathe you blow out too much carbon dioxide which changes the acidity in the blood. This may cause more symptoms such as confusion and cramps, and make palpitations, dizziness, and pins and needles worse. This can make the attack seem more frightening, and make you over-breathe more, and it can become a vicious circle.

A panic attack usually lasts 5-10 minutes, but may also come in waves for up to two hours.

See link list below for more information.

You are not alone in suffering panic attacks. Jemma Kidd, make-up artist and famous sister to Jodie Kidd eplains how she suffered panic attacks and how she used The Linden Method to overcome her panic disorder.

Pass through Panic by Dr Claire Weekes, Audio CD format

Panic Attacks What they are, why the happen, and what you can do about them

Anxiety and Panic Attacks - Their Cause and Cure

Panic Disorder and Anxiety in Adolescence (Parent, Adolescent and Child Training Skills