Panic Attacks: Are They Truly Serious?

By Greg Anderson

Panic attacks are, in fact, quite serious and they need to be treated or they may grow worse.

Panic attacks will often leave those who suffer from them feeling as if a thousand pound weight is crushing their chest, or as if they are having a heart attack. A person suffering a panic attack will frequently experience profound physical discomfort and even pain.

Being unable to get air will typically make the lungs burn in pain, and the abdominal discomfort can be severe enough to feel like being repeatedly punched. While the physical symptoms are painful and completely miserable, the psychological ones can be even worse. Feelings of impending doom, thinking death is imminent, or that a psychotic break is happening are all too common for those who suffer panic attacks.

People who have panic attacks are usually, quite understandably, so scared to have them that they are constantly on edge wondering when the next one will occur. Panic attacks do not necessarily result in lasting physical problems, but the emotional and mental effects are severe.

Fairly often, panic attacks can feel so scary and painful that patients will feel compelled to visit an emergency room, thinking that they are perhaps having a heart attack, losing the ability to breathe, or even dying.

Some doctors actually tell panic attack patients "it's all in your head, nothing serious" in a dismissive manner and end up making the patient feel truly hopeless.

Panic attacks are a very serious medical problem and they need to be regarded as such. Unlike other medical problems, such as an easily treated virus or illness, panic attacks require an approach that treats the problem, and prevents it from continually occurring. Panic attacks need to be not just managed, but prevented. Panic attacks are a medical problem that can be quite serious and accelerate until they are nearly out of control, so it is important that patients and doctors alike treat them that way.

Programs such as Panic Away prevent panic attacks. Since this program's primary aim is to retrain the brain so that it is not allowing the "fight or flight" response to occur at all the wrong times, Panic Away can not just teach you how to deal with panic attacks when they happen, but to stop them from plaguing you ever again. - 32513

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