If you suffer from panic attacks you probably go to great lengths to hide the fact from others. Even from members of your own family. This can be pretty hard when your heart is racing heart, your hands or feet tingling, you have a pain in your chest and an upset stomach, feel dizzy and disorientated, are sweating, fear fainting el faint, have a shortness of breath and are trembling.
When an attack happen for the first time many people fear they are having a heart attack or some other serious medical problem. Research suggests sufferers may have an underlying biological vulnerability that makes them more sensitive to situations in which they start feeling fearful. As a result they tend to avoid those people, places and activities perceived as threatening, to have catastrophic thoughts and may, after a time, develop physical symptoms as well as associated depression.
Panic attacks can be successfully treated either through self-help or with the assistance of a psychologist. Treatments used by therapists typically include cognitive/behavioural coping techniques (CBT) often combined with medication for optimal results.