I remember growing up I had friend who had that same exact feeling repeatedly. There were several instances where during class you would hear him trying loudly to gasp for air and turn extremely red. You could see the terrified look on his face and the teachers would have to take him outside of the classroom so he could calm down. I remember being as confused as everyone else in class and no one even dared to ask what was going on with him. ( I'm sure he was pretty embarrassed himself). These same incidents reoccured over and over again for a couple of years. I then moved away and several years went by and the other day I bumped into him. I finally had the courage to ask to him what was going on. He explained to me that he was suffering from panic disorder. He was having repeated panic attacks and told me that it usually happened out of no where but would definitely occur when the class got really loud all of a sudden. He said couldn't help it and left like an outcast because of it. I felt pretty bad because i knew the rest of the kids felt he was a little weird and top it off he just always looked so fragile. He said that what scared him the most was the fact that he knew he could just get a panic attack hated that he couldnt control it. He eventually sought professional help and now he doesnt have to worry about it anymore.
Below is an animated video that talks about panic disorders and what exactly it is. Here Dylan talks about his own experience and explains that this disorder limited him from doing the things he love, like skateboarding. After seeing a psychiatrist, he was assisted to better cope with this condition.
i also have a friend that has panic attacks but instead he was diagnosed with anxiety disorder. He would call me and couldnt explain why he would get them, he said he was taking medication to help control them, he stated that he was always fearful of when the next attack was going to come, he sometimes sounded scared, to go near any experience that would trigger his reactions, and since he wasnt aware on the anxieties source he was always a little paranoid. I wonder if he ever tried confronting the root of his attacks, he did say that he was going to Tropical Behavioral for some support group sessions, he said those where helping him a lot in dealing with his disoder, it kind of made him feel normal, and knowing he is not the only one out there going through the same thing made him feel more at ease.
ReplyDeleteIt is not the first time I hear that the people with panic disorder fear the most getting another panic attack unexpectedly. It is like; they never know when it will happen so they are constantly questioning when the next panic attack will be. I have never encountered anyone who has panic attacks and I did not know it happened out of nowhere. Last time I was watching T.V. on a regular day nothing too important, and suddenly I just jumped from the seat and started to sweat a lot and my heart felt in a rush. I was just moving around and felt so anxious. Point is, I do not have panic attacks since that only happened once and it does not fully meet the criteria for panic attacks but truth is it feels really bad and frustrating! Good thing is that there is help out there to control panic attacks which should be a great relief and cause less of a fear.
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