Document Text Contents
Page 1
PANIC ATTACKS
Reading material No.1
WHAT IS A PANIC ATTACK?
A panic attack is a brief episode of intense anxiety, which causes the physical
sensations of fear.
Symptoms
Symptoms of a panic attack can include:
• Heightened vigilance for danger and physical symptoms
• Anxious and irrational thinking
• A strong feeling of dread, danger or foreboding
• Fear of going mad, losing control or dying
• Feeling lightheaded and dizzy
• Tingling and chills, particularly in the arms and hands
• Trembling or shaking, sweating
• Hot flushes
• Accelerated heart rate
• A feeling of constriction in the chest
• Breathing difficulties, including shortness of breath
• Nausea or abdominal distress
• Tense muscles
• Dry mouth
• Feelings of unreality and detachment from the environment.
Panic attacks are common. Up to 35 per cent of the population experience a panic
attack at some time in their lives.
A panic attack can also be called an anxiety attack.
Without treatment, frequent and prolonged panic attacks can be severely disabling.
The person may choose to avoid a wide range of situations (such as leaving their
home or being alone) for fear of experiencing an attack.
Reading material No.2
THE “FLIGHT-OR-FIGHT” RESPONSE
PANIC ATTACKS
Reading material No.1
WHAT IS A PANIC ATTACK?
A panic attack is a brief episode of intense anxiety, which causes the physical
sensations of fear.
Symptoms
Symptoms of a panic attack can include:
• Heightened vigilance for danger and physical symptoms
• Anxious and irrational thinking
• A strong feeling of dread, danger or foreboding
• Fear of going mad, losing control or dying
• Feeling lightheaded and dizzy
• Tingling and chills, particularly in the arms and hands
• Trembling or shaking, sweating
• Hot flushes
• Accelerated heart rate
• A feeling of constriction in the chest
• Breathing difficulties, including shortness of breath
• Nausea or abdominal distress
• Tense muscles
• Dry mouth
• Feelings of unreality and detachment from the environment.
Panic attacks are common. Up to 35 per cent of the population experience a panic
attack at some time in their lives.
A panic attack can also be called an anxiety attack.
Without treatment, frequent and prolonged panic attacks can be severely disabling.
The person may choose to avoid a wide range of situations (such as leaving their
home or being alone) for fear of experiencing an attack.
Reading material No.2
THE “FLIGHT-OR-FIGHT” RESPONSE
