Panic attack - a fairly frequent disorder of the nervous system, manifested in a unprecedented, expressed attack of anxiety, accompanied by fear, in combination with various reactions from organs and organism systems.
Content
Panic attacks can be manifestations of vegetative-vascular dystonia, chronic depression, endocrinological and cardiovascular diseases.
Clinical manifestations of panic attack are diverse:
- From the side of the cardiovascular system: heartbeat, rapid pulse, sensation of lack of air, shortness of breath or difficult breathing, pain or discomfort for the sternum and in the left half of the chest;
- From the endocrine system: sweating, chills;
- From the gastrointestinal tract: nausea or discomfort in the area of stomach, abdominal pain, stool disorder;
- From the nervous system: the feeling of the inner trembling and trembling limbs, dizziness, instability when walking, fear of death, feeling of numbness or tingling in limbs, insomnia, confusion of thoughts and reducing memory, feeling coma in the throat, violation of vision or hearing.
The duration of attacks can vary from a few minutes to several hours, constituting on average 15 — 30 minutes. Frequency of attacks — from several a day to 1 — 2 times a month.
Causes of panic attacks are diverse: accumulated stress, difficult life situations, thyroid diseases, cardiovascular diseases, diseases of the nervous system and spine (stroke, insufficiency of cerebral circulation, atherosclerosis, osteochondrosis, the hernia of intervertebral disks).
The incommodation of appeal to the doctor in the appearance of a panic state can lead to a resistant neurosis, the risk of developing acute violations of cerebral circulation and myocardial infarction, social disadaptation (fear of public places, conflicts at work and in the family).
If you are worried about bouts of panic attacks, you need to seek advice from specialist physicians who have extensive experience in the diagnosis and treatment of panic states. Previously, it is necessary to exclude possible pathology from the internal organs and systems, conduct laboratory and instrumental examinations of the brain, ultrasound examination of blood vessels, heart and thyroid gland. This will allow you to put the correct diagnosis and assign a full and effective treatment.
