Symptoms of a Panic Attack

Those who have suffered from panic attacks all suffer from similar symptoms.  Sweaty palms, an overly high heart rate, mental confusion - all, as well as many others, are products of panic attacks.  Knowing what these symptoms are, and, more importantly, being able to recognize them is crucial if people are to be properly diagnosed.  Moreover, knowing what may be happening can also enable a person to take certain measures so that, if these panic attacks are to occur, they are not exacerbated or made worse by a person's general lack of knowledge.

Perhaps one of the most common and well-known symptoms associated with panic attacks is just that - panic.  Panic, or anxiety, is often very intense, and can be triggered by the slightest provocations.  For instance, money, family, or work issues, however minor, can all cause an individual suffering from panic attacks to break out into a cold sweat, start to shake or cry, or experience pulsating headaches, to name a few syndromes.  Those suffering from the worst that panic attacks have to offer can go as far as secluding themselves from the rest of society, fearing that if they venture into public they may undergo another panic attack and, as a result, be subject to ridicule or torment by their peers. 

Another symptom may be someone's continual reliance on alcohol or drugs.  Because of the stultifying and depressing powers of alcohol and certain types of drugs, an individual's reliance upon them can signal a deeper problem.  Someone whose desire it is to curb or prevent panic attacks may engage in intense alcohol consumption or drug use in order to suppress the feelings and emotions they otherwise do not wish to express.  Of course, this can have a very damaging affect on someone's health, but for suffering from panic attacks, this may be preferable to the panic attacks. 

A second symptom associated with panic attacks is intense social anxiety, which may express itself in an individual's reluctance to meet and talk to others or to engage in any type of event that requires them to be social.  Because people who express this anti-social behavior - which is usually accompanied by other symptoms like stammering, dry mouth, or difficulty with speech - are generally thought to be overly shy or introverted and, as a result, receive little sympathy from their peers, and may, in some cases, even be viewed as mentally ill.  This does nothing but contribute to the problem, causing many sufferers to think that their fears of social interaction are justified and that those around them do not care about their mental well-being.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is another common syndrome associated with panic attacks.  People suffering from this disorder become so consumed by certain thoughts that they are unable to think of anything but these thoughts, growing obsessed with them until they are highly distressed.  Although some argue that everyone is OCD in some way or other, and that it is this compulsive disorder that lies behind ambition and drive, those suffering from extreme OCD usually worry about things that are inconsequential or that they have no control over.  For example, some people fret over germs so much that they will take constant showers and will not shake people's hands out of fear of contracting some germ. 

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