Have you ever had a moment where you felt like you were going to die the next second?
Chest tightness, palpitations, shaking hands and feet, increasing difficulty breathing, falling into an extreme fear of death...
And the feeling is sudden, without any prior warning.
Xiao Zhang, a native of Chengdu, was driven on the highway and was sent to the hospital because of these feelings.
(Source: Red Star News)
Ms. Wang of Wenzhou was also sent to the hospital emergency department because of similar symptoms[2].
(Source: Wenzhou Business Daily)
Like Xiao Zhang and Ms. Wang, there is also the star Yu Wenle.
(Source: Screenshot of Weibo)
After a doctor's professional diagnosis, it was found that they all had the same disease - panic disorder.
Panic disorder, in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, is an acute anxiety disorder [3].
In order to facilitate everyone to understand it, we introduce a more intuitive case - Xun Zong in the TV series "Female Psychologist".
(Source: Female Psychologist)
Xun was always a famous entrepreneur who lost his wife and eldest son due to a car accident in his early years, and has been dependent on his younger son ever since.
During the epidemic period, the younger son insisted on going abroad, and Gou was very worried about his son's safety, and his health also had problems.
He described his feelings when he fell ill this way:
At first I sweated and shivered, then I felt shortness of breath in my chest, I couldn't breathe, and I felt nauseous.
Lying on the bed, you will feel that you are about to die, and the white expanse in front of you seems to be out of your soul.
If you find yourself in Xun Zong's body and find that you have had similar feelings, don't take it seriously.
When panic disorder occurs, people often feel extreme fear and anxiety, accompanied by cardiovascular and respiratory symptoms such as palpitations, chest tightness, and shortness of breath.
At that time, nothing could be done, only rest, often after ten minutes of rest, you can relax.
Many people get sick without warning or for no reason when they are resting at home and working at work.
For this situation, many patients will have the same doubt:
Am I having a heart problem?
As a result, various examinations were done in the hospital and no obvious abnormalities were found.
And, often, after a few weeks, panic attacks occur again.
Over time, because he was often in the fear of another attack, he scared himself half to death.
Although panic disorder was terrifying when it came on and felt like it was about to die, it was not life-threatening.
It is only because when it occurs, it will make people feel extremely afraid and painful, so when there is no seizure, people are often in a state of worry and fear.
There is no danger to life, but that doesn't mean treatment isn't needed.
Although panic disorder may resolve itself, it is not treated in time and is likely to recur, even for several years.
There are patients who, for years or even decades, dare not leave home.
(Source: giphy)
Isn't it hard to imagine? But it does exist!
After prolonged, frequent episodes, it is also possible to develop true cardiovascular disease [3].
So if you or a friend around you have similar symptoms, it is best to go to the hospital psychiatric department and see a doctor early.
Fear, anxiety, palpitations, chest tightness, in fact, many people have experienced.
About 20% of adults experience at least one panic attack,[4] but this does not mean that they have panic disorder.
If you encounter some suspected situation, you can first use the following criteria to judge [5].
1. Recurrent unpredictable panic attacks, accompanied by palpitations or accelerated heart rate, sweating, tremor or tremor, shortness of breath or suffocation.
2. After at least 1 panic attack, it exists within one month:
Persistent fear of a recurrence, or the consequences of the attack and possible adverse effects;
Behavioral changes associated with seizures, such as adopting certain behaviors to avoid recurrence.
3. The onset of the disease has nothing to do with drugs or other physical diseases, and cannot be classified as other mental illnesses.
If you feel that your symptoms are more consistent, or if you suspect that you have panic disorder, you can go to the hospital for help from a doctor.
(Source: soogif)
In daily life, there are also some small ways to relieve panic attacks [6,7]:
1, stop the "I'm going to die" such negative thoughts, panic attacks, although uncomfortable, but not life-threatening;
2, do not focus on their own symptoms, remember to divert attention, you can count down, recall the past, look at the surrounding scenes, etc.;
3. Regular physical exercise helps to relieve anxiety.
In fact, every hint that the body gives us is not unreasonable.
These symptoms of panic attacks give us a wake-up call:
There may be a little problem with your mental state recently that needs your attention.
Whether it happens to you or to the people around you, if we understand it, we won't be so afraid and can give comfort and help to others.
In the TV series, Xun Zong's son finally returned to his side, and under the joint care of the doctor and his son, his illness was finally cured.
I hope that everyone who is plagued by panic disorder can get out as soon as possible.
bibliography
[1]https://www.sohu.com/a/478208592_116237
[2]https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/25KNfD61DfYlvNLIpOTaLQ
Li Lingjiang, Lu Lin. psychiatry. 3rd Edition[M]. People's Medical Publishing House, 2015.
Lu Lin. Shen Yu Estate. Psychiatry 6th Edition[M]. People's Medical Publishing House, 2018.
American Academy of Psychiatry. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.). Peking University Medical Press. 2014.
[6]https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/panic-attack
[7]https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/panic-attacks/symptoms-causes/syc-20376021
Editors: Zhao Yanan, Zhang Jie, Zhang Liang
Proofreading: Wu Yihe | Typesetting: Li Yongmin
Operation: Han Ningning | Coordinator: Wu Wei