Don't be panicked by your panic attacks

That's Men For You / Padraig O'Morain's guide to men's health : Is the panic attack the defining symptom of our age? Certainly…

That's Men For You / Padraig O'Morain's guide to men's health: Is the panic attack the defining symptom of our age? Certainly counsellors see as many people with panic attacks as they do with depression.

Panic attacks affect both men and women - though I suspect men are less likely to say they are happening.

People can hide panic attacks quite well. If you are having a panic attack, most of the panic is happening inside your own head and body and is invisible to others.

Panic attacks are harmless to your physical health but they can cripple you socially if you let them. In other words, it is the fear of panic attacks that does the harm.

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It is all too easy to begin to avoid social gatherings, trips into town, being on a bus or a train or walking along certain streets because you fear you will have a panic attack.

Gradually your life becomes a hostage to the fear of a panic attack.

The answer is to drop the fear or at least to stop letting the fear dictate your behaviour.

That's easier said than done, I know. Panic attacks are very unpleasant. They come in many forms. Often they consist of intense fear or apprehension together with physical symptoms.

These can include: accelerated heart rate, sweating, trembling, shortness of breath, choking, chest pain, nausea, dizziness, a sense of disconnection from what is going on around you, fear of loss of control or of dying, numbness, chills, hot flushes.

The good news is that panic attacks typically build to a peak in 10 minutes or less and then die down. The better news is that, as mentioned above, they do not do physical harm.

Why do panic attacks happen? The causes remain mysterious but the most popular theory is that your brain makes a mistake and thinks you are in danger when you are not. It reacts by throwing you into a panic - the sort of panic which would help you to run from a wild animal or fight an assailant if you were in a corner.

So your panic attacks don't mean you are going crazy: they mean your brain is doing too good a job of protecting you.

Go to your GP if you experience the symptoms of panic attacks to ensure you are not suffering a physical illness instead. If what you are having are panic attacks, your GP may refer you to a counsellor.

Here are some psychological approaches you can take to free yourself from the crippling effects of panic attacks:

First, remind yourself again and again that the fear of panic attacks does more harm than the panic attacks themselves. Say to yourself: "It will be very uncomfortable and unpleasant if I have a panic attack but it won't be the end of the world."

Second, beware of thinking yourself into a panic attack. This can happen if you begin to fear you are going to have a panic attack and you fill your mind with nervous thoughts about it. Instead, remind yourself that if you have a panic attack, it won't be the end of the world, clear your mind and focus on what is going on around you.

Third, if you overbreathe - gulping air, breathing too quickly and deeply - when you are anxious you may make your panicky feelings worse. Practise a regular, calm breathing when you are feeling nervous.

Fourth, practise going into situations in which you could have a panic attack. Begin with the least scary situations and work your way up.

Fifth, when a panic attack comes just notice its rising and falling. Don't try to get away from it. Just observe it.

Sixth, realise that other people can't actually tell that you are having a panic attack.

Try these measures and with luck the number of panic attacks you have will reduce greatly - and you won't be scared by those that happen.

pomorain@irish-times.ie

Padraig O'Morain is a journalist and counsellor accredited by the Irish Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy.