1) FEAR OF HEART ATTACK
Symptoms of panic include many symptoms that occur when people have heart attacks such as chest pain, rapid breathing or shortness of breath, nausea, dizziness, cold sweat. Therefore, many people assume they are experiencing a heart attack. If it is the first panic attack, it is critical that the person be examined by a doctor to determine the diagnosis. However, if the doctor indicates that the person does not have heart disease, then the individual can safely assume that they are experiencing a panic attack.
However, some people still worry that the panic attack could cause a heart attack. This is not possible (except in the movies). The reason for this is that anxiety and panic is a normal process of the body as I said earlier. It is the arousal of the autonomic nervous system also know as the "flight or fight response." This system is a beneficial part of the body meant to help us. It is activated if we are threatened and need to react quickly such as by running or fighting back. Therefore, it cannot harm us. That would be like saying that the normal process of breathing which is meant to help us could actually harm us. It can't. And neither can the arousal of the autonomic nervous system.
Now, there is some evidence that long-term (over years) arousal of the autonomic nervous system can contribute to heart disease. However, this is through a different process. What occurs is that during this arousal, the stress hormone cortisol is released. Cortisol is meant to help us cope with stress. But under the condition of chronic stress where too much is in our system over time, it will lead to the build up of fat around the middle of our body. As you may know, this particular fat has been indicated to be a risk factor with heart disease. Again, however, if you do not have heart disease, a panic attack cannot trigger a heart attack.
2) FEAR OF GOING CRAZY
Another fear that people have is that a panic attack will cause them to go crazy. Certainly, panic is very disorienting and it may be hard to focus and concentrate so it may feel as if you are losing your mind. However, that can't happen. And again, the reason is because panic is a normal system of the body. Anything normal cannot cause a person to lose their mind.
The only time that a person can "lose their mind" with panic is if they already have a mental condition that causes them to lose touch with reality. Even then, it can only be a trigger for an underlying condition. For example, if a person has schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. However, there would be other signs of these conditions. Therefore, if you have seen a physician or psychologist and you have not been diagnosed with these types of mental conditions, panic cannot cause you to go crazy.
3) FEAR OF LOSING CONTROL
Many people who have recurring panic fear that it will cause them to lose control. For example, they fear that if they are driving they will suddenly lose control and not be able to drive. Then, they become fearful that the panic will cause them to have an accident.
This is certainly not true and for a very interesting reason. Remember, earlier I said that panic is to help us prepare to handle a threat. Therefore, while our autonomic nervous system is aroused we are in a heightened state of preparation and are more ready to react quickly to a problem. We are able to think and respond. In my 20 years treating panic and anxiety and doing driving exposures with clients, I have never once seen or heard of any of them unable to at least pull the car over to the side of the road. No one has ever just taken their hands off the steering wheel and had an accident. I am not concerned about riding in a car with someone who is having a panic attack because I don't believe I am in danger (unless they are just a bad driver, in general).
4) FEAR OF FAINTING
Another fear that people experience due to the symptoms of lightheadedness and dizziness is that they will faint and the fainting will cause a dangerous situations. However, this does not occur because panic causes an increase in blood pressure (one of those symptoms to help us prepare for threat) but fainting is most typically caused by low blood pressure.
However, one caveat to this is that if a person already has a fainting condition, a panic attack may trigger a faint. Even in this case it is not typical due to the rise in blood pressure. However, again, if a physician has given you a clean bill of health and you have never fainted previously due to another condition, a panic attack will not cause you to faint.
