Recognizing Anxiety and Panic Attack

In today’s high-paced, technology-driven world, stress pretty much comes standard. Many of us may be familiar with that fleeting feeling of panic just before a tight deadline or important meeting. Some of us may experience this feeling more than just “fleetingly”. Although many may brush this off as part of life, these feelings could reach a point where there is cause for concern.

Research shows that 75% of people with anxiety disorders experience initial symptoms before the age of 22. This age group mainly consists of university students or entry-level workers – both stressful periods of a person’s life. It stands to reason, then, that stress in life is linked to and can trigger feelings of anxiety. The danger lies in dismissing the body’s warning signs rather than investigating them.
In the field of psychology, it is generally accepted that there are two main factors which can contribute to the development of anxiety disorders and or depression.

• Environmental factors (work / study / life stress)
• Biological factors (a family history of anxiety  / depression)

So, for instance, if a family member suffers from anxiety or depression, this may predispose a person to developing similar problems – especially if there are outside factors which may trigger this predisposition (such as a stressful period in life).

Many anxiety disorders involve some form of panic attack, the intensity and frequency of which varies from disorder to disorder. In basic biological terms, what happens during a panic attack is that the “fight or flight” mode is activated in a situation where there is no actual danger. Since the adrenaline produced is not needed, the body reacts in various ways. This could include symptoms such as:

• Racing heart
• Chest pain
• Dizziness
• Sweating
• Trembling
• Shortness of breath
• Nausea

Any combination of these feelings can very easily trigger a sense of alarm, which can lead to a feeling of “unreality” or feeling “detached”. This in turn may lead to other alarming feelings and thoughts, such as:

• A sense of impending death
• An intense fear of “losing control”
• Fears of “going crazy”.

Panic attacks can either be triggered by particular situations, like being in a place where a panic attack has happened before, or they can happen at completely random moments that are part of normal, everyday life, like walking down the passage at your office or shopping at your local supermarket. The fact that panic attacks can strike at any moment, suddenly and without warning is part of what makes them so terrifying to those who experience them.

There are various disorders that fall under the category of anxiety, including Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Panic Disorder (PD) and General Anxiety Disorder (GAD), among others. In most cases, there is usually accompanying or underlying depression, and vice versa.

However, feeling stressed does not necessarily mean you have any kind of disorder. An article on CalmClinic.com explains, “Anxiety disorder is not like having a cold. When you happen to start sneezing, you often can tell the causes like [...] having caught a draft of cold air. With anxiety disorders, it’s nothing like that. There are no specific causes leading to this pathology; instead, there’s an intricate network of causality and effect that leads to the development of these troubling conditions.”

In light of this, there is no need to worry about day-to-day stress with a clear cause. However, if you start experiencing frequent panic attacks or anxiety or depression which in any way begins to compromise your quality of life and inhibits you from doing things you normally would, like going to work and socializing it may be worthwhile to investigate these feelings further.

Despite the negative stigma that tends to surround panic attacks and depression, once you start reaching out, you’ll find that you are not the only one who experiences these feelings. In today’s fast-paced environment, anxiety and depression are far more common that one would think. The good news is that both can be treated.

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