Have you ever come across a situation where you or anyone you know got utterly confused, their body trembled badly, felt shortness of breath, pain in chest and they do not know how to react while socialising? This can be a sign of anxiety attacks.
Whereas, on the other hand, panic attacks can be seen when someone is having intense fear and their physical symptoms can be seen as a racing heartbeat, sweating and nausea.
Panic attacks are divided into two categories: expected and unexpected panic attacks. Attacks that come without any indications are unexpected attacks; they generally appear because of an obvious cause. Expected attacks occur because of phobias and stressors.
.jpg)
Anxiety and panic attacks feel the same because of their similar symptoms but they are differentiated by a thin line of experiences an individual has. You may experience both of them at the same time. For example, you are worried about some important meetings which are showing some anxiety signs, and later, if this continues, it can also accumulate in panic attacks.
.jpg)
Panic attacks can be seen with severe symptoms whereas anxiety attacks can be mild, moderate or severe. You might be experiencing anxiety in the back of your head but panic attacks do not occur in the same scenario.
Read | Stop taking your headaches lightly
Dr Deepti Puranik, Assistant Professor and Psychologist, “Because of this pandemic, there has been a sudden increase in the number of people suffering from panic attacks and this rising trend is certainly a worry.”
Dr Deepti Puranik shared below mentioned some of the common symptoms of anxiety and panic attacks.
Someone suffering from a panic attack can feel emotions like:
Physical symptoms of a panic attack are:
Anxiety attacks can show up with the following written emotional symptoms:
Some of the anxiety attacks can show up with the following written physical signs:
Here is what Dr Puranic suggested to bystanders and family members when they counter someone suffering from anxiety and panic attacks.
She mentioned, “The role of bystanders is to resolve the fight if they are in a tiff while in a panic mode. Bystanders should try to resolve the fight and explain how harmful it might be to continue the fight especially to the second person.”
She added, “Try to relax the person who is having a panic attack and immediately call the mental healthline. No comments should be passed on to someone suffering from anxiety or panic attack, instead, try to seek professional help for them.”
One should bring changes in their lifestyle by referring more to meditation, mindfulness, doing yoga, consuming a balanced diet and limiting the consumption of alcohol.
