How will a panic attack affect you?
Usually a panic attack will affect you in
3 different ways; physically (in that you will experience real physical
symptoms), psychologically (in that you will experience a change in your thought patterns) and behaviourally (in that you will find yourself behaving
differently). In short, panic attacks can affect you in
a variety of ways. The table below explains just some of the ways that panic
attacks can impact on
you:
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What will
it affect?
|
Impact on
you
|
|
Body
|
Panic attacks
can result in you experiencing very real physical
affects. For
example, your heart rate can almost
double. You may feel dizzy, sick or feel you can’t get your breath. You may feel tingling or numb or that you are choking. You could shake and feel unreal
or get chest pains.
|
|
Actions
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You may find it hard to stay in one
place, feel the need to escape, or sit down. You may snap at people, or avoid places where you think you will panic.
You may fear exerting yourself or be afraid to be alone in
case something bad happens.
|
|
Thoughts
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In experiencing a rush of fear you will find frightening thoughts
running through your mind. These
could be: that you are losing
control and going to make a fool of yourself; that your physical
health is in danger by having a heart attack/stroke; that you are losing your mind or going
‘mad’. Finally
you may have the thought that something awful is going to happen,
even if you don’t know what that is.
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