Panic attacks

[han]

Originally Posted by luxotika /img/forum/go_quote.gif Anxiety attack and panic disorder are two different things. Anxiety attacks happen to many people; from stress, etc. Panic disorder is when the anxiety attacks effect your everyday life negatively. I have had panic disorder for almost 10 years. I have been taking medicaiton for about 8 years, and I am much better on the medication than being off it. Yes, panic disorder is a mental disorder, and it is a lot more common than you'd think. thanks^ for the info.. i was starting to panic reading the other post lol... i guess i could safely say i get anxiety attacks but it only happens when im in a car by myself on a freeway i sometimes have to pull over to get myself together. but no im not getting on meds just for that

 

[jessica9]

Originally Posted by han /img/forum/go_quote.gif thanks^ for the info.. i was starting to panic reading the other post lol... i guess i could safely say i get anxiety attacks but it only happens when im in a car by myself on a freeway i sometimes have to pull over to get myself together. but no im not getting on meds just for that actually...sorry, but that just isn't correct. panic attacks are not just anxiety attacks that affect your everyday life because of their consistency or because of how they "negatively" impact your life. whenever i have met with a psychiatrist, they always ask what i experience during what i consider a panic attack to ascertain that it is indeed a panic attack and not an anxiety attack. panic attacks are real episodes. sorry if my post before made you anxious in some way, but there is a clear distinction. a panic attack is an episode that lasts between 5-30 minutes in which you experience feelings of losing control, having a heat attack, your limbs will often go numb. all anxiety is physiological, but in a panic attack, a lot of people cannot physically breathe and feel physical symptoms such as numbness of the limbs. it is very different from just having a lot of anxiety attacks. i consider myself to not have had a panic attack in the past two or three years, but i have anxiety attacks often. pulling over to the side of the road when you feel anxious is a good thing. it's a way to be in control of your anxiety. and i don't think it is weird. i think a lot of people have anxiety and go through this sort of thing. psychiatrists are aware that a lot of people consider themselves to be having panic attacks that are actually anxiety attacks, so they will ask you what you experience. it is sort of hard to explain. but most people i know think they are having a heart attack or are going crazy permanently when they are having one. so it sounds like you are having anxiety attacks and not panic attacks. people who tend to hyperventilate easily are predisposed to panic disorder. i saw a documentary on panic disorder and it discussed that. as a teenager i hyperventelated a lot. i'm just happy i don't have panic attacks anymore. it sounds like you are having anxiety attacks, which many of us experience, which suck as well! ugh! i have them often. but panic attacks are episodes. you can't just pull yourself together on the side of a road. most people need a short-acting medication to stop the attack. i hope i encouraged you rather than discourage you!

 

[han]

Originally Posted by jessica9 /img/forum/go_quote.gif actually...sorry, but that just isn't correct. panic attacks are not just anxiety attacks that affect your everyday life because of their consistency or because of how they "negatively" impact your life. whenever i have met with a psychiatrist, they always ask what i experience during what i consider a panic attack to ascertain that it is indeed a panic attack and not an anxiety attack. panic attacks are real episodes. sorry if my post before made you anxious in some way, but there is a clear distinction. a panic attack is an episode that lasts between 5-30 minutes in which you experience feelings of losing control, having a heat attack, your limbs will often go numb. all anxiety is physiological, but in a panic attack, a lot of people cannot physically breathe and feel physical symptoms such as numbness of the limbs. it is very different from just having a lot of anxiety attacks. i consider myself to not have had a panic attack in the past two or three years, but i have anxiety attacks often. pulling over to the side of the road when you feel anxious is a good thing. it's a way to be in control of your anxiety. and i don't think it is weird. i think a lot of people have anxiety and go through this sort of thing. psychiatrists are aware that a lot of people consider themselves to be having panic attacks that are actually anxiety attacks, so they will ask you what you experience. it is sort of hard to explain. but most people i know think they are having a heart attack or are going crazy permanently when they are having one. so it sounds like you are having anxiety attacks and not panic attacks. people who tend to hyperventilate easily are predisposed to panic disorder. i saw a documentary on panic disorder and it discussed that. as a teenager i hyperventelated a lot. i'm just happy i don't have panic attacks anymore. it sounds like you are having anxiety attacks, which many of us experience, which suck as well! ugh! i have them often. but panic attacks are episodes. you can't just pull yourself together on the side of a road. most people need a short-acting medication to stop the attack. i hope i encouraged you rather than discourage you! what isnt correct?? im confused, lol i never said panic attacks are just anxiety attacks, honestly i have no clue to either, i might not even have either after reading your post if you are infact correct since i dont have any of the symtoms you mention... i only feel that way once in awhile and only when im in a car alone, not every day or even everytime im driveing alone.paperflowers sorry i couldnt be more help since i really dont have a clue but i hope you do get the answers you need and it works out for you.

 

[jessica9]

Originally Posted by han /img/forum/go_quote.gif what isnt correct?? im confused, lol i never said panic attacks are just anxiety attacks, honestly i have no clue to either, i might not even have either after reading your post if you are infact correct since i dont have any of the symtoms you mention... i only feel that way once in awhile and only when im in a car alone, not every day or even everytime im driveing alone.paperflowers sorry i couldnt be more help since i really dont have a clue but i hope you do get the answers you need and it works out for you.

oh...i guess it was confusing! i was saying that the person you quoted who said that panic attacks are just anxiety attacks that happen more frequently and impact you life negatively was incorrect. panic attacks are episodes that last from 5-30 minutes even. I was saying that you personally don't need to worry, because it sounds like you have anxiety attacks every once in awhile but are able to pull yourself together. i thought you were worried that what you were experiencing were panic attacks. anxiety attacks are no fun either, but they are different from panic attacks and are just heightened states of anxiety. I get them often. Luckily I haven't had a panic attack in several years. I was just trying to distinguish between what panic attacks and anxiety attacks were a little more clearly, because it is sort of confusing. Actually, I am a bit confused now. I just looked around the internet a bit, and I think different doctors have different definitions. Some do not distinguish between the two, and some do. This is just a wikipedia things, but it covers the physical, mental, and perceptual experiences one experiences during a panic attack, and I think it is a pretty informative in describing panic disorder:
Panic attack - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I am honestly more confused now than before. I have had doctors ask if I am having anxiety attacks or panic attacks, and my first doctor diagnosed me with panic disorder, which is correct. But I think some people tend to call anxiety attacks less severe panic attacks or "almost" panic attacks. I don't know. I don't consider myself to have had one unless it is full-blown.

here is a site that talks about generalized anxiety. As you can see, a lot of the symptoms are the same. but i think panic attacks are marked as different because they are episodes.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder Anxiety Problems

i think a lot of doctors think of panic disorder and anxiety attacks differently. here is what another site says, saying anxiety attacks are worse than panic attacks. very confusing.

Anxiety Attacks

I'm not saying any of these links are especially knowledgable. I just put them here because it just goes to show how some people think they are the same thing, some people distinguish between the two, and i just personally have always heard that panic attacks are more serious than anxiety attacks. one of the sites is selling something. who knows! But, I think the Wikipedia site describes them pretty well. So maybe I was wrong in what I said before about anxiety attacks, perhaps they don't exist! I'm sure we have all heard different things because we have seen different doctors. I still think if you feel in control and can handle a panic attack, then you are doing fine. A lot of people have panic attacks. I also used to hyperventilate a lot as a teenager, and then had my first one at age 18. The wiki site talks about that. It's confusing. The list of symptoms of anxiety attacks sound like symptoms of a panic attack to me. Any one have any opinions? What have your doctors said?

Paper Flowers - Do whatever you think is right. I would just follow your gut. If it feels right, and he calls and if his parents are in town, I don't know...I hate when guys don't call! I would just trust your gut.