[suzifleshinator]

hey. can you guys please describe an anxiety attack to me, because i'm not sure if i'm having these or what.

[jmo531]

palpitations, pounding heart, or accelerated heart rate
sweating
trembling or shaking
sensations of shortness of breath or smothering
feeling of choking
chest pain or discomfort
nausea or abdominal distress
feeling dizzy, unsteady, lightheaded, or faint
derealization (feelings of unreality) or depersonalization (being detached from oneself)
fear of losing control or going crazy
fear of dying
paresthesias (numbness or tingling sensations)
chills or hot flushes

Your not alone. Breathe deep, close your eyes and exhale slowly. Continue to do this until the feeling passes. Take care.

[Myzen]

Hi suzi,

Jmo describes it clearly. I would just add that all the physical and perceptual symptoms are dominated (for me) by a terrible, immediate, fear and almost intolerable discomfort. One person said , "It is as if the very ground of your being is ripped away."

A psychologist was quoted as saying, "It is the illest that a person can feel."

I guess there are different intensities. We will never be able to really know what another person is feeling.

The good news? We can overcome this illness, there are many medications and strategies which have been proved effective. If you do have panic disorder, it's not the end of the world. I'm living proof of that!

Good thoughts to you, Myzen

[meowrrr]

Yea, anxiety attacks are different for everyone. I've even had someone tell me that what I was experiencing WASN'T an anxiety attack simply because it was different from what SHE experienced. This is not true.

The list posted above is great; some people (like me) just get hot flashes and sweat with a raised heart rate (I usually get these when I'm around people and crowds). I've felt like my body was all tingly and "something was seriously wrong" once before (this happened when I was going into preterm labor and I started freaking out at the thought of losing my baby). I've had what seemed like hyperventilating a few times where I just couldn't catch my breath (happens when I get really upset or angry). And I've had that awful feeling like my insides were about to let loose and I was going to release everything from my bowels (those are the worst... I get those when I'm reeeeeally scared of something... like when I start facing a problem that I've been burying deep inside for a long time.. ahem, but that's a different story.. hehe).

I've seen people break out in hives, people sweat like crazy... even people just "acting" panicky. If you think you're having a panic attack, you probably are. Hope this helps!

[arli]

I had (and still have) panick atacks. The worst one was very like an heart-atack so I finished in hospital. It started when I washed my litlle baby hear, I was calm and all right - there was no obvious reason for panick.

Sudenlly I felt very nervous, I couldn`t feel my hands and I had strong pain "around my heart". On the end I couldn`t control my hand, nor my legs....teriblle...

Now, I can feel when panick atacks is coming so I am trying to have deep breath, to close my eyes etc.

[Maven]

My panic attacks include me screaming, when I have what I refer to as an "all-out" panic attack. That's when it peaks, isn't just severe anxiety or a lesser panic attack, but is like the equivalent of an orgasm, only instead of the peak of pleasure, it's the peak of fear. I think all emotions have peaks (like rage can be the peak of anger).

I don't want to scream, but I can't help it. I start screaming, begging for help. One shrink I had in the past said I could choose not to scream, but that only p***ed me off, because I try everything to NOT scream, since that seems to escalate the panic, and I can't help it.

I can't truly give you words to describe what I feel, but I can tell you three movies in which I've seen scenes that are similar to what a panic attack is like for me, at least in part. In Twilight Zone: The Movie, the scene where John Lithgow plays a man with panic attacks and flying phobia totally freaks out, that's a good depiction of the one of the sensations I feel. Saw and Saw 2's terrifying panic moments are also good.

I really hate the way Hollywood usually portrays anxiety attacks and panic attacks, though. They're often wrong. I remember one where a woman had hallucinations, and they called that a panic attack. That's not what a panic attack is! I suppose a panic attack can include hallucinations, but it's not what a panic attack is.