The Panic Attack And Social Misunderstanding
No one chooses to experience a panic attack on a whim. Nobody invents those authentic fears that trap, suffocate and take our breath away until they make us believe that we are going to die. However, the social misunderstanding woven around these disorders further intensifies the sense of anguish and, of course, loneliness.
Anyone who knows this topic will no doubt remember their first “baptism” with panic attacks. Finishing work, for example, getting on the subway and, suddenly, when listening to a couple of people yelling at each other in the middle of a conversation, dizziness, confusion and that heart that shoots, runaway, appears, as if we were falling into the void , to a very deep abyss.
It is estimated that almost 10% of the world’s population has ever suffered a panic attack. Now, the real problem comes when that terrifying experience becomes recurring and, what is worse: unpredictable. The funny thing about all this is that, despite being one of the most common psychological problems today, it is one of the most unknown.
Whoever has a panic attack is not weak or psychotic. Nor does he need our compassion, what he deserves is understanding and, above all, seeing these distressing situations as something that all of us can experience at some time.
The panic attack and the lonely world of fear
Sweating, dizziness, dry mouth, palpitations, nausea, suffocation … The panic attack comes suddenly, as if someone had pressed that red button, which with very bad faith triggers horror in its truest sense. Likewise, we cannot forget that physical symptoms are added to those attributions where one believes that he has truly lost control and that his life is in danger.
Now, what are we really afraid of when this happens? Sometimes it is the fear of getting on a plane, it can be the large masses of people, small spaces or even certain distorted perceptions about what happens in the body. Fears, although unjustified, become true eaters of calm, balance and self-control.
It is almost comforting to know that all this has a very clear origin in our brain. Scientists have called it the “fear network” and explain that people who often suffer from what the DSM-V defines as “panic attacks or panic disorders” have parts of their brains with a somewhat unusual type of activity.
According to a work published in the journal “Molecular Psychiatry”, in the cingulofrontal cortex there is a type of network that controls our perception of fear. It is in this area where dimensions such as interoception or self-perception of the physiological condition of our body are managed.
What does this mean? Basically, in this disorder our fear mechanisms are “deregulated” to the point of generating reactions of authentic panic, even when there is no real risk. This is something that we should take into account in order to understand this reality much better, which is far from responding to the whims of those who suffer from it and who suffer like the most.
The essential thing in these cases is to train the person in the observation, understanding and control of their physical sensations, at the same time that they are provided with tools so that they are aware of those thoughts involved in episodes of intense anguish.
Now, we know that not all of this is a short or easy process and, although techniques such as interoceptive exposure or progressive relaxation training are always essential in these disorders, what is also needed is the support of family and friends .
Because we believe it or not, panic attack is still a topic truffled by false beliefs to this day. Nobody ends up going crazy as they suffer more panic attacks. Nor is it a problem exclusively associated with the female gender, nor is it a disease that can be cured only with pills.
It is necessary that we change certain schemes and be closer and more sensitive to this type of dimensions. Because after all, mental illnesses can be treated, but many social prejudices today still have no cure.
