Effective Recommendations Against Panic Attacks

Acıbadem Fulya Hospital Psychiatrist Dr. Merve Çukurova made statements about panic attacks. Acıbadem Fulya Hospital Psychiatry Specialist Dr. Stating that panic attack, which is becoming increasingly common today, is a situation that occurs when a person feels 'in danger' or stressed. Merve Çukurova “Panic attacks are attacks of intense distress or fear that typically occur unexpectedly, begin suddenly, manifest with intense anxiety, restlessness, recurring from time to time, and leave people with horror. " said.

Çukurova stated that this is a natural reaction of the body.

Stating that the panic attack is actually a natural reaction sequence of the body to protect itself, by the evolutionary mechanism of survival in moments of danger, Dr. Merve Çukurova said, “Panic attacks generally begin during or after stressful life events such as death of a close person, separation or threat of separation from a loved one, illness, job change, pregnancy, migration, marriage, graduation. ” he used the phrase.

Emphasizing that panic attack is not a disease, Çukurova made the following statement:

“Panic disorder; It is a psychiatric disorder characterized by intense anticipatory anxiety about when the next panic attack will occur. In panic disorder; Due to complaints such as shortness of breath, palpitations and chest pain, people think that they have a heart attack and that they may die. These patients may apply to emergency services, and then often to departments such as cardiology, internal medicine, and neurology.”

Çukurova said that people with panic disorder feel great discomfort from situations such as not staying at home, not going out alone, not getting on public transport, elevators, avoiding traffic, "Panic disorder is a disease that can be treated, with effective drug therapy and psychotherapy methods. It is possible to alleviate the complaints of patients significantly. However, sedatives, heart, blood pressure, and palpitations should not be taken unless under the supervision of a doctor, the dose of the drug should not be increased or decreased without the knowledge of the doctor, and even if the person feels well, he should not discontinue the drug without the knowledge of his doctor. he said.

Psychiatrist Dr. Merve Çukurova said that the presence of at least 4 of the following symptoms, which will start suddenly and reach the highest level within 10 minutes, indicates that the person is facing a panic attack. Çukurova listed the symptoms and precautions as follows:

• Palpitations, sense of heartbeat or increased heart rate
• Sweating,
• shaking or shaking,
• Shortness of breath or feeling like suffocating
• cut off,
• Chest pain or feeling of tightness in the chest
• nausea or abdominal pain,
• Dizziness, lightheadedness, feeling like you're about to fall or faint
• Feelings of unreality, detachment from self, alienation from self and the environment
• Fear of losing control or going crazy
• The fear of death,
• numbness or tingling,
• Chills, chills or hot flashes.

Dr. Merve Çukurova gives the following suggestions to prevent panic attacks;

• Avoid caffeinated foods and drinks such as tea, coffee, cola drinks, chocolate, as they will increase anxiety.
• Do regular physical exercises such as walking and sports to reduce stress.
• Practice breathing-muscle relaxation exercises.

When you feel that a panic attack will begin, apply breathing control methods as a coping technique. One of these methods is to breathe through your nose for at least 5 seconds, hold this breath for 5 seconds, and exhale by pursing your lips as if you are whistling for at least 5 seconds. Repeat this 5 times.

Stating that methods such as breathing in a paper bag, plastic bag or paper bag during a panic attack are frequently asked, Dr. Merve Çukurova talks about these methods: “As the person breathes more frequently and deeply during a panic attack, the oxygen level in the blood increases and the carbon dioxide level drops rapidly. Therefore, symptoms such as dizziness, numbness, tingling, fainting sensation occur. When breathing cannot be controlled during an attack, if there is no underlying chronic disease, breathing into a paper bag may be beneficial as it prevents the decrease of carbon dioxide level and allows adequate oxygen intake. However, when this method is applied for a long time and uncontrolled, it should not be done for a long time as the carbon dioxide level in the blood will increase. Nylon bags should not be used as they will prevent adequate oxygen intake.”