What does the phraseological unit panic fear mean? Causes of panic fear. Benefit from illness

Panic fear is an unconscious, sudden, uncontrollable emotional state of a person, characterized by terrible anxiety, horror, accompanied by a change in the person’s physical condition. The reasons why an individual experiences panic fear can be both internal and external. For example, a certain frequency of sound is used in infrasonic weapons that can affect large numbers of people, causing panic and physical symptoms.

An attack of panic fear or panic attack is a symptom that is a painful, severe anxiety that suddenly grips a person, in combination with characteristic vegetative symptoms.

According to statistics, at least one person out of five has experienced a panic attack at least once in their life.

What is the fundamental difference between the concept of “panic attack” and ordinary panic and fear? The whole difference is that “normal” panic has a reason. For example, you cannot find your passport in front of the counter at the airport. You will experience the same physical symptoms that are prescribed for a panic attack, however, you will clearly understand what the fear is associated with and that it reflects the real state of affairs.

From the age of 28 until the end of his life, Charles Darwin periodically experienced a number of unpleasant symptoms - sudden attacks of fear, suffocation, sweating, dizziness and trembling. Doctors gave him a lot of diagnoses, however, he never managed to get rid of obsessive attacks. Today, experts come to the conclusion that Darwin most likely had a panic disorder. According to researchers, approximately 2% of the population has this diagnosis. Most often, the disorder begins in adolescence, the largest number of patients are between the ages of 22 and 44 years.

Symptoms

A panic attack is characterized by at least 4 of the following symptoms:

• fear of death;
• feeling like you might go crazy or lose control of yourself;
• tachycardia;
• derealization, depersonalization;
• shortness of breath, suffocation, sensation of a lump in the throat;
• chest pain;
• dizziness;
• trembling throughout the body;
• increased sweating;
• sleep problems;
• pain in the stomach, intestines, stool upset.

The duration of the attack can be from several minutes to several hours. However, on average the condition lasts 10-20 minutes. A feature of the post-state is obsessive thoughts associated with the fear of a recurrence of the attack. An “anticipation” anxiety syndrome is formed, and another panic attack will not be long in coming. The opening attack leaves a serious mark on the memory. A person is trying to understand what provoked his condition. Who was next to him (or who was not) at the time of the attack? Where was it? What he ate, drank, what he thought about. In connection with these thoughts, rituals and restrictive behavior begin to form.

Panic disorder is closely related to agoraphobia. The fear of experiencing panic in public or in an “unsafe” place leads to the fact that a person first refuses public transport, then avoids large supermarkets, and then prefers not to leave his home at all.

Possible causes of panic attacks

It is worth remembering that a panic attack is just a symptom that signals us about something. Many phobic disorders are characterized by panic attacks; they can be provoked by both the fear of dogs and women’s fear of childbirth. In addition, many other psychological problems are characterized by anxiety attacks, such as depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

A panic attack can be a side effect from taking any medication. Well, don’t discount your body. The reason may lie exclusively in the somatic sphere: from problems of the cardiovascular or endocrine system to tumors in the adrenal glands.

If no other diagnoses are confirmed, and unexpected panic attacks occur at intervals from several times a day to several times a year, with painful waiting between them, panic disorder is diagnosed. In ICD-10 it is listed as F41.0.

The key word in the description of the term is "unexpected". That is, if a person is afraid of hospitals and has a panic attack right before visiting a medical facility, then the reason is obvious. In the case of panic disorder, the condition seems to come out of nowhere. Women suffer from the problem twice as often as men.

Most patients, having experienced panic for the first time, tend to attribute what happened to some serious somatic illness. They begin to visit doctors and get examined. This is an absolutely correct strategy, because if a person actually has a panic disorder, then he will not die from it, but if he has heart problems or a hormonally active tumor, then everything is possible. Therefore, first of all, it is necessary to eliminate all unnecessary things.

However, some people, especially over 40 years of age, even after a full examination by a therapist and redirection to a psychotherapist or neurologist, prefer to make an appointment with gastroenterologists, cardiologists, force doctors to conduct repeated tests and begin to feel like a carrier of a unique disease. All this leads to hypochondria and worsening of the condition.

It is when the patient begins to persistently demand that the therapist diagnose and treat his panic fear that the outdated and controversial term sounds - vegetative-vascular dystonia (VSD). This is a very vague diagnosis, the treatment of which most often consists of taking mild sedatives or herbal preparations.

Factors influencing the occurrence of panic disorder

One of the most important risk factors is exposure to violence in childhood. Such an event cannot but damage the psyche and in adulthood you will have to face the consequences.

The hereditary factor is assessed as average. Of course, there is no specific “alarm” gene, however, a certain combination of them forms a person’s tendency to the disorder.

External conditions also actively influence the occurrence of panic disorder. For example: constant psychological discomfort at work, stressful interpersonal relationships, hormonal imbalances, coffee, cigarettes, alcohol, chronic weakness, fatigue and lack of sleep.

How to get rid of panic fear

Now you know that a panic attack can happen for completely different reasons. Professional clinical psychologist Veronika Stepanova will talk about ways to overcome panic fear if the reasons are purely psychological.

At the moment when the attack has already happened, you have only a few ways to influence the situation. First is breathing. It is recommended to take a deep breath and exhale slowly. Actually, breathing is the only way we can influence the autonomic nervous system; this is feedback (after all, we cannot control either digestion, blood circulation, or the functioning of the glands).

Secondly, it is necessary to shift attention from the center of excitation. To do this, you can perform muscle relaxation exercises: tense and relax some muscles. Some try to pinch themselves or slap themselves. In addition, you can try to visualize any pleasant images for yourself.

And yet, it is not recommended to call an ambulance (we are talking about a diagnosed panic disorder, and not the first panic attack, which can be caused by anything). Even if you sincerely think that you are going to die, this is not so. And calling an ambulance reinforces the behavior in you that avoids trying to cope with the attack on your own.

Panic disorder is treated with psychotherapy. As in the case of combating phobias, various approaches and methods for resolving psychological problems are used. Cognitive behavioral therapy has achieved the greatest success in treating panic attacks. Its goals are to change the patient's thoughts about the sensations he is experiencing and his ability to cope with them. Cognitive therapists suggest that the problem occurs because the brain misinterprets signals and erroneously triggers the “fear mechanism.”

Another option for dealing with a panic attack is to resolve the intrapersonal conflict that triggered the disorder. Such therapy can occur in various modalities, such as psychoanalysis, Gestalt, humanistic directions and others.

If a child experiences panic, the sequence of actions should be approximately the same: we examine the body for pathology, if everything is within normal limits, we seek advice from a child psychologist.

We must remember that a huge number of fears are provoked by children’s imagination, and often there is nothing serious behind them. However, it is very cruel for adults not to pay attention to the baby’s feelings; this can lead to various psychological problems in older age. Be sure to help your child cope with his anxieties and panic fears. Remember that a child is a reflection of the parents’ condition. Sometimes, instead of “treating” a child, see if this signals you about problems in your family.

Prevention

You had a panic attack, and now you sit tensely and wait for it to hit you again, you are afraid to leave the house again. And you get the opposite effect. To avoid repeated attacks of panic fear, it is important to spend the adrenaline that is produced in your body.

Psychologists advise leading an active lifestyle, maintaining a work and rest schedule, playing sports, communicating with people, and attending events. Under no circumstances should you isolate yourself within four walls, because it is precisely because adrenaline is not consumed during the day that such an erroneous release can occur in the evening.

In addition, you need to breathe fresh air - walk in nature, ventilate the room - oxygen is extremely important. Maintaining a sleep/wake schedule, as well as nutrition, helps maintain body stability.

conclusions

Symptoms and treatment of panic fear depend on the causes of the condition. If the reasons are psychological, then there is no need to worry, and even when there is a feeling that you are about to die, this is a deception, there is no threat. The disorder is successfully treated with the help of psychotherapy of various directions.

To make it easier to survive attacks, use relaxation methods and breathing practices. Don’t let the painful anticipation of the next attack take over your thoughts, and if an attack does happen, go through it to the end, intensify the symptoms and realize that nothing bad will happen. If this works, perhaps there will be no next attack, or it will not happen again very soon.

A phraseological unit is a stable figurative expression, the meaning of which is not determined by the meaning of individual words. Phraseology includes:

• idioms – phraseological units as rethought figurative meanings;
• proverbs and sayings formed in folklore;
• catchphrases are phrases of an aphoristic nature relating to a specific author, artistic, literary or cinematic work.

What does “Panic Fear” mean? panic"? Meaning: “Panic fear; panic"

What does this mean?
“Panic fear; panic"- this is confusion that defies reason, an unaccountable horror that engulfs people.

Origin

Where and what is the origin of the phrase?
Source of the catchphrase “Panic fear; panic": Greek myth. At the birth of the god of nature Pan, the patron saint of forests, fields and their inhabitants, his mother was horrified by the appearance of the child: horned, with hooves, with a flattened nose and a goatee. As soon as he was born, he began to jump and laugh. But Pan turned out to be a good-natured, cheerful deity; he invented the flute and played it excellently. And yet people, hearing wild sounds, were sure that it was Pan. Out of fear of the deity, they rushed into reckless flight. This is where the word “panic” comes from.

Other Russian expressions

Other meanings and origin stories of expressions, phraseological units, sayings, proverbs and catch phrases on the site from our dictionary of words and expressions of the Russian language.

The phraseological unit “Panic fear” comes from the name of the Greek god Pan. This is the god of cattle breeding and shepherding, fertility and wildlife. Pan is considered the son of Hermes; there are several myths about his mother.

Pan was born with goat legs, horns and a long beard, and immediately upon birth began to jump and laugh. The child's mother, frightened by the unusual appearance and character of her son, fled in horror, but Hermes wrapped the baby in hare skins and took him to Olympus. Here the child amused all the Olympian gods, and especially Dionysus.

The god Pan lives in the shady forests of Arcadia. There he grazes his flocks, playing a sonorous pipe. When the hot afternoon comes, Pan, tired from his studies, falls asleep, and not a single shepherd dared to disturb his sleep by playing the pipe. Pan is quick-tempered; when he appears unexpectedly, he can frighten the traveler who disturbed him. He can also send such horror when a person rushes headlong to run, not making out the road. It happened that Pan inspired a similar fear in an entire army, and it turned into an uncontrollable flight.

This kind of fear, named after the god Pan, began to be called panic.

Phraseologism “Panic fear” meaning:

Panic fear, sudden panic. senseless, unaccountable, reckless and irresistible fear.

The explanatory dictionary of the living Great Russian language V. Dahl interprets the expression “fear” as “ fear, timidity, strong apprehension, an anxious state of mind from fright, from a threatening or imagined disaster».

Fear as a natural state

It is impossible to find a person who has never experienced fear of something in his life. Fear is not a sign of weakness, but a completely normal, natural basic emotion that is simply necessary in order to protect us from danger. This means that mental and physical health is impossible without it.

Military personnel who have been in war claim that even the most desperate and brave warrior experiences horror and fear during combat operations.

We need this emotion primarily for self-preservation: in a dangerous situation, it protects us by giving a signal: “ Watch out! Move away! Hide! Run away!" That is why, despite the fact that fear is positioned by us as a negative feeling, it certainly has positive aspects.

And panic fear (or attack), unlike normal fear, does not stimulate us to avoid danger, but, on the contrary, fetters us, paralyzing us, like a cobra rabbit. That is why this condition can be dangerous both for the psyche and for general health in general.

Let's find out what the term " panic fear“from a medical point of view, what symptoms it can be expressed and how to deal with this scourge.

What is panic fear?

Probably each of us knows what the catchphrase “ panic struck" Popularly, this term means a state of crippling confusion, the inability to calm down and pull oneself together, and confidence in the hopelessness of the situation.

The origin of this phrase goes back to antiquity. In ancient Greek mythology there is such a legend: the little god of nature, the patron of forests and fields named Pan, was distinguished by his repulsive appearance from birth. Of course: small, with a goatee, horns, hooves, a flattened pig snout - he could terrify anyone.

Just think, even his own mother was scared of him! But besides his colorful appearance, Pan was distinguished by his specific behavior - as soon as he was born, he immediately began to laugh and jump, thereby horrifying his own mother. Seeing him, people ran away in horror. The terms “panic” and “panic” originated from Pan’s name.

In modern medicine, sudden attacks of panic terror are called panic attacks. The sensations that a person experiences for the first time make an indelible impression on his psyche and remain in his memory, which is why he begins to fear a new attack.

When the attack is repeated, the person perceives this state as a pattern, which is why he limits himself in everything, trying to avoid relapses. But since panic attacks are impossible to predict, this pattern of behavior significantly affects the quality of life, making it unbearable.

Symptoms and causes of panic fear

Symptoms of panic attacks are as follows:

• growing anxiety, sudden, unaccountable fear that lasts several minutes;
• temporary paralysis (numbness) of the body;
• chaotic thoughts or lack thereof;
• increased temporary sweating;
• cardiopalmus;
• dry mouth, trembling in the hands and/or throughout the body;
• suffocation.

Like any other disorder, panic attacks do not occur out of nowhere. Often the basis of this illness is hot temper, impulsiveness, and emotional instability. This condition can be aggravated by stress, psycho-emotional stress, and mental trauma experienced (for example, a panicked fear of death can be acquired by a person who has recently lost a relative or witnessed a fatal tragedy).

Physiological characteristics of the body can also be a trigger for the development of a mental disorder.

The cause of panic attacks, among other things, can be the following factors:

• diseases of the endocrine, cardiovascular, and especially nervous systems;
• unhealthy lifestyle (unbalanced diet, chronic lack of sleep, alcohol consumption, smoking, physical inactivity);
• lack of self-analysis (the habit of postponing solving pressing problems until later leads to dissatisfaction with oneself, awareness of problems “floats out” at the most inopportune moment).

How to get rid of panic fear?

Despite the fact that panic fear does not pose a threat to life and health and is not a mental illness, it requires treatment. After all, regularly recurring panic attacks signal the development of panic neurosis - a problem that can significantly ruin your life.

A person begins to avoid other people, withdraws into himself, as a result of which his lifestyle becomes routine and ascetic, a constant feeling of anxiety ties him to his own home - the place where fears haunt him least of all. And against the background of these problems, various phobias and even more serious mental illnesses often arise.

As you can see, panic attacks can have serious consequences, which means that you cannot do without the help of a specialist. It is best to entrust the treatment of the disease to a professional - an experienced psychologist or psychotherapist. He will select a set of measures aimed at effectively eliminating the disorder.

Under no circumstances should you rely on your own strength or the help of relatives or friends who do not have special education. And even more so, you shouldn’t “drown” your problem in alcohol or try to eliminate it with the help of drugs - in addition to an existing illness, you can easily acquire alcohol or drug addiction.

For professional help to be as effective as possible, help yourself as well. Avoid smoking, drinking alcohol, strong tea, coffee, caffeinated foods and energy drinks.

In order to understand the origin of the expression “panic fear”, it is necessary to turn to mythology. According to their beliefs, the god of agriculture, fertility, and cattle breeding lived on Mount Olympus. He was also considered the patron saint of all forest inhabitants. This god's name was Pan. As soon as he was born, he immediately scared his parents terribly. The fact is that the deity turned out to be a small horned man with a small goat. In addition, the baby was not even a day old, he began to run around, laugh loudly, cheerfully and make noise. Everyone who saw this was very scared.

However, in spite of everything, the gods of Olympus were glad to appear, because in any case, he was one of them - he was also a god. Moreover, Pan turned out to be a very cheerful, smart and good-natured kid. He was very talented and even played the flute beautifully, producing beautiful melodies.

But the gods knew about this. And simple shepherds, hunters and trappers, hearing in the forests or plantings an unclear strange noise or rustling, whistling or unexpected crackling. They began to experience inexplicable fear. They were sure that all these sounds were made by Pan. As a result, people were afraid of something that in fact was not scary at all.

This is where the expression “panic fear” came from. It expresses a causeless, all-encompassing, sudden and inexplicable horror.

About panic fear

This fear arises suddenly and unexpectedly, without any obvious or visible reasons. And therefore it becomes real stress, which is very difficult to cope with. A person is always afraid of everything inexplicable, and this feeling of fear remains in the memory for a long time.

Some people even experience a panic attack. In this case, the feeling of fear arises completely suddenly and has no apparent reason. It can be very difficult to cope with such an attack on your own. Under the influence of fear, the autonomic nervous system is activated. This is manifested by pale skin, trembling, numbness of the hands, difficulty breathing, drying of the mucous membranes in the mouth, upset stomach and other unpleasant symptoms.

In order to get rid of a state of panic, you need to calm down, breathe deeply and switch your attention. For example, drink tea, take a sedative, talk with a loved one. But the main thing is to try to understand that there is no threat to life and health.

PANIC FEAR

PANIC FEAR

(from Pan). Sudden and causeless fear. The ancient Greek mob thought that the god Pan made his visits suddenly, at night, terrifying the people, hence the expression - panicky fear.

Dictionary of foreign words included in the Russian language. - Chudinov A.N., 1910 .

PANIC FEAR

unaccountable, blind fear that instantly seizes the crowd for no apparent reason; according to ancient belief. Greeks, was sent to people by the god Pan, hence the name.

Dictionary of foreign words included in the Russian language. - Pavlenkov F., 1907 .

PANIC FEAR

from Pan. Sudden, unfounded fear.

Explanation of 25,000 foreign words that have come into use in the Russian language, with the meaning of their roots. - Mikhelson A.D., 1865 .

See what “PANIC FEAR” is in other dictionaries:

The expression is used in the meaning: unaccountable, sudden, strong fear, covering many people, causing confusion. Originated from Greek myths about Pan, the god of forests and fields. According to myths, Pan brings sudden and unaccountable terror to... ... Dictionary of popular words and expressions

PANIC FEAR, panic w. Greek sudden. unaccountable, senseless, reckless and irresistible. Dahl's Explanatory Dictionary. IN AND. Dahl. 1863 1866 … Dahl's Explanatory Dictionary

PANIC FEAR, female panic, Greek. sudden. unaccountable, senseless, reckless and irresistible. Dahl's Explanatory Dictionary. IN AND. Dahl. 1863 1866 … Dahl's Explanatory Dictionary

Panic; unaccountable panic fear Wed. The laws that create and control panic are still unknown. She appears to you in the form of a maddened dog that has accidentally broken loose from its chain. Saltykov. Variegated letters. 9. Wed. I knew the old man: in his soul...

Panic fear- wing. sl. The expression is used in the meaning: unaccountable, sudden, strong fear, covering many people, causing confusion. Originated from Greek myths about Pan, the god of forests and fields. According to myths, Pan brings sudden and unaccountable... ... Universal additional practical explanatory dictionary by I. Mostitsky

Unaccountable Wed. The laws that create and control panic are still unknown. She appears to you in the form of a maddened dog that has accidentally broken loose from its chain. Saltykov. Variegated letters. 9. Wed. I knew an old man: I settled in his poor soul... ... Michelson's Large Explanatory and Phraseological Dictionary

Panic (panic fear)- (on behalf of the Greek god Pan, who was believed to be capable of causing sudden and strong fear) - extreme, uncontrollable fear that instantly seizes a person in some emergency circumstances. The image of this in “Queen Margot” by A. Dumas... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary of Psychology and Pedagogy

fear- an emotion that arises in situations of threat to the biological or social existence of an individual and is aimed at the source of real or imagined danger. Unlike pain and other types of suffering caused by the real action of dangerous... ... Great psychological encyclopedia

PANIC, panic, panic. 1. Imbued with panic. Panic horror. Panic fear. Panic mood. 2. Easily susceptible to panic, frightened (colloquial). Panic man. Ushakov's explanatory dictionary. D.N. Ushakov. 1935 1940 ... Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary

1. FEAR1, fear (fear), husband. 1. units only A state of extreme anxiety and anxiety from fear, from threatening or expected danger, fear, horror. Feeling of fear. Panic fear. In mortal fear. Fear of the unknown. Fear of death … Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary

Books

• Executioner for the mafia. Reckoning, Sergei Vetrov. In a remote place near the river, a retired summer resident finds an unknown man lying unconscious. When he woke up, the man could not remember his name, what happened to him, or his previous life...
• Gods of Ancient Greece, N. A. Kun. Greek mythology created a host of gods who personified in beautiful human images the passions and dreams that live the world. The gods of Olympus - Zeus, Aphrodite, Athena, Hephaestus - who are they if not...

- (from Pan). Sudden and causeless fear. The ancient Greek mob thought that the god Pan made his visits suddenly, at night, terrifying the people, hence the expression of panic. Dictionary of foreign words included in the Russian language... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language

The expression is used in the meaning: unaccountable, sudden, strong fear, covering many people, causing confusion. Originated from Greek myths about Pan, the god of forests and fields. According to myths, Pan brings sudden and unaccountable terror to... ... Dictionary of popular words and expressions

PANIC FEAR, female panic, Greek. sudden. unaccountable, senseless, reckless and irresistible. Dahl's Explanatory Dictionary. IN AND. Dahl. 1863 1866 … Dahl's Explanatory Dictionary

Panic; unaccountable panic fear Wed. The laws that create and control panic are still unknown. She appears to you in the form of a maddened dog that has accidentally broken loose from its chain. Saltykov. Variegated letters. 9. Wed. I knew the old man: in his soul...

Panic fear- wing. sl. The expression is used in the meaning: unaccountable, sudden, strong fear, covering many people, causing confusion. Originated from Greek myths about Pan, the god of forests and fields. According to myths, Pan brings sudden and unaccountable... ... Universal additional practical explanatory dictionary by I. Mostitsky

Unaccountable Wed. The laws that create and control panic are still unknown. She appears to you in the form of a maddened dog that has accidentally broken loose from its chain. Saltykov. Variegated letters. 9. Wed. I knew an old man: I settled in his poor soul... ... Michelson's Large Explanatory and Phraseological Dictionary

Panic (panic fear)- (on behalf of the Greek god Pan, who was believed to be capable of causing sudden and strong fear) - extreme, uncontrollable fear that instantly seizes a person in some emergency circumstances. The image of this in “Queen Margot” by A. Dumas... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary of Psychology and Pedagogy

fear- an emotion that arises in situations of threat to the biological or social existence of an individual and is aimed at the source of real or imagined danger. Unlike pain and other types of suffering caused by the real action of dangerous... ... Great psychological encyclopedia

PANIC, panic, panic. 1. Imbued with panic. Panic horror. Panic fear. Panic mood. 2. Easily susceptible to panic, frightened (colloquial). Panic man. Ushakov's explanatory dictionary. D.N. Ushakov. 1935 1940 ... Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary

1. FEAR1, fear (fear), husband. 1. units only A state of extreme anxiety and anxiety from fear, from threatening or expected danger, fear, horror. Feeling of fear. Panic fear. In mortal fear. Fear of the unknown. Fear of death … Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary

Books

• Lecture “Gogol. “VIY” as a Russian erotic utopia”, Dmitry Bykov. “The problem of Russian literary criticism is that it still stubbornly considers Gogol a virgin. Meanwhile, the most powerful description of the act of love is, of course, the scene of flying on a panel,... audiobook
• Executioner for the mafia. Reckoning, Sergei Vetrov. In a remote place near the river, a retired summer resident finds an unknown man lying unconscious. When he woke up, the man could not remember his name, what happened to him, or his previous life...

Fear is considered a normal reaction of the body to danger or a threat to life and the defining instinct of self-preservation. At the same time, there is another “side of the coin” - panic fear, which stupefies, immobilizes and paralyzes, having a negative impact on both the human psyche and physical condition.

Panic fear - what is it?

Panic fear is a severe attack of anxiety, which is accompanied by various vegetative symptoms. The meaning of the phraseological unit “panic fear” does not exist in medicine, but there is a similar concept - panic attack, which is essentially the same thing. These expressions indicate a short-term, inexplicable state of confusion and severe anxiety. Often, unreasonable fear becomes chronic and makes itself felt from time to time.

The origin of the phrase “panic fear” goes back to ancient Greece. There is a myth that the Deity of nature, forests and fields was, to put it mildly, unattractive with a disfigured face: short in stature, with a beard like a goat, horns, hooves and a pig’s nose. In addition, his behavior was also very specific, which together led to people running away in horror at the sight of the deity. And his name was Pan, which is where the term “panic” comes from.

Symptoms of panic fear

The symptoms of panic fear are quite vivid and are remembered for a lifetime:

• sweating;
• chills or tremors;
• shortness of breath and feeling of lack of oxygen;
• nausea;
• dizziness;
• insomnia;
• numbness or tingling in the fingertips;
• confusion of thinking.

Often there is an eerie feeling of imminent death, which becomes the cause of fear of committing an uncontrollable act. Unreasonable fear and anxiety can last from a couple of minutes to several hours, but on average an attack takes no more than half an hour.

Once having experienced unprovoked panic, a person remembers his own feelings, which aggravates the situation and leads to the psychological consolidation of panic feelings. The body lives in anticipation of a new attack, behavior with restrictions is formed when a person tries to avoid places where he was overtaken by unpleasant sensations.

Panic fear: causes and treatment

Treatment of a panic attack is strictly individual and in most cases depends on the cause that triggered the attack. The most successful method is cognitive behavioral therapy, when the manifestations of panic fears are leveled through logical and reasonable arguments.

For example, the fear of flying on an airplane and the panic thoughts that arise along with it are destroyed by carefully substituting thinking about flying. Experts gradually lead a person to the idea that such strong anxiety is groundless, so that the patient rethinks his own fears. Psychotherapy also includes a drug based on selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, but more often a drug from a series of benzodiszepines is prescribed, which have been successfully used for about half a century for increased anxiety or during periods of stress.

If there is a fear of childbirth, then only psychoanalysis and cognitive techniques help, where the specialist is required to gently direct the woman to positive thoughts in order to change patterns of behavior and thinking.
At the same time, during an attack, a pregnant woman is recommended to gradually switch her attention to something else, for example, to breathing technique. Additionally, minor aerobic exercise is recommended to reduce the frequency of panic attacks.

You can overcome panic fear yourself with the help of:

• switching attention to breathing or something emotionally pleasant;
• contact with contrasting objects (cold-hot, bright-dark, etc.);
• exclude stimulating drinks (coffee, energy drinks, alcohol, etc.);
• engage in regular physical activity, which stimulates the production of serotonin.

Meditation and prayer are also one of the types of therapy when uncontrollable panic fear occurs. In this way, a person tries to switch his attention and calm the nervous system, which, as a rule, has a positive effect.

In general, panic disorders always have a beginning and an end, so you should not focus on them. A person should, if possible, avoid stressful situations and focus on positive thoughts and emotions, recording them in memory. The patient thus creates a kind of “anchor” to subsequently reduce the manifestations of panic fears.