Anybody who has ever had an anxiety attack (sometimes called a panic attack) will tell you that it isn't any fun at all. The attack will be very intense, and may or may not have an apparent trigger associated with it. If you believe you have had an anxiety attack, or know someone who has, then the following information will help.
NOTE: You should always take health symptoms seriously. If you think you are having a heart attack, you should get help immediately. Always talk to your doctor about all of your health concerns, including those related to anxiety and panic attacks.
Anxiety attacks are sometimes confused for a more serious health problem, such as an inability to breathe or having a heart attack. Here is one way that this happens. Many people with anxiety have an acute sense of awareness, and then amplify that awareness. Perhaps they are sitting quietly and then suddenly notice their breathing. They then focus on their breathing and they start to wonder if they are breathing properly. The funny thing is that this thought process actually changes their breathing pattern, and they then become even more aware of this change. This process keeps escalating until the person thinks they could die from not being able to breathe, and they are now in the middle of an anxiety attack.
Understanding this process is one of the keys to getting an anxiety attack under control. If this happens to you, then you should do your best to interrupt the thought process, which will prevent simple awareness from progressing into an attack. Again, all symptoms should be taken seriously, but you will get better at telling the difference as you handle more panic attacks successfully.
Having an anxiety attack can be scary. You may feel an impending sense of doom, or as though you are going to die. It's unpleasant, to put it mildly. One of the most frustrating side effects of these attacks is the fear of having an attack when you are in public. Unfortunately, this fear can start a downward spiral that leads to agoraphobia (fear of open places) and can lead to a full-blown panic disorder.
While a large portion of sufferers will have an anxiety attack without warning, there are also some people who have recognizable triggers for their attacks. Be careful! The downside of potential triggers is that the perceived trigger may not be the real cause of an attack. The fear of having an attack in public is one example of how this plays out. Let's say somebody has an attack while they are at the movie theater, it's a horrible feeling and they leave the theater as soon as possible. Later, when they are assessing what went wrong, they assume it was the movie theater that caused it, even though it could have been something completely different. But, perception reigns supreme and they decide to never go to the theater again. Over time, they have fewer and fewer places where they feel safe, and this is why it can be such a big problem.
