Pretoria - Imagine a fear so overwhelming, it cripples what used to be your day-to-day movements.
Boarding public transport is a nightmare, driving is a test of will, visiting a shopping centre knocks the air out of your chest.
This fear and discomfort is one faced by thousands of South Africans and bears the characteristic features of a panic attack.
Friday was Panic Awareness Day, and the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (Sadag) marked the day with an open chat hour on Facebook, for people struggling with panic disorder to speak about their daily challenges and get advice from clinical psychologist Dr Colinda Linde.
Panic disorder involves recurrent unexpected panic attacks followed by fear of experiencing future panic attacks.
By the end of the hour, the chat had amassed more than 40 questions and answers from people reaching out to the group.
“I have a friend who suffers from panic attacks. How would I be able to help them during an attack?” wrote one person.
Linde said: “During the attacks it’s best to stay calm, in what you are saying and in your movements.
“You can use distraction very effectively, to try to calmly draw your friend’s attention to things outside themselves - and the scary symptoms.”
Zane Wilson, founder of Sadag, said: “From not driving or going to hairdressers or shops, banks or restaurants, my world became smaller and smaller.
“However, after four weeks’ treatment, I was in control again, and I travel constantly and am back to living a totally normal life.”
A mother asked the group if children can suffer from panic attack problems. “It seems like my daughter is suffering from it, and if it is (a) panic attack, where can I get help ?”
Linde said that children did indeed suffer panic attacks and that cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) worked well with treating it as well as taking the child to see a psychologist.
“Is it possible for anxiety attacks to be managed without the use of medication or is medication a life-long procedure?” asked one worried woman.
Linde answered: “Good question - anxiety is a combination of genetic vulnerability and learnt fear/behaviour, so in some cases you need a combined approach (meds and CBT) but there are cases where CBT alone is enough.”
Another person wanted to know: “Can panic attack sufferers get to a point where they are free from the affliction? I know some people even wake up during the night and then they are already in a panic attack.”
“When we say cured, it isn’t always no anxiety ever again,” said Linde.
“But rather, anxiety at a low and manageable level. In fact, when it starts to become noticeable it may be helpful to tell you that something is out of balance.
“Having said that, out of all the anxieties that one can have, panic is the one where I have in fact seen many people 100 percent free of it.”
For more information and advice on panic disorder, check out the website at www.sadag.org.
What is a panic attack?
According to the American Psychiatric Association, a panic attack, which is the core feature of panic disorder, is a period of intense fear or discomfort that strikes suddenly, often in familiar places, where there is seemingly nothing wrong threatening an individual.
The organisation states in its newsletter: “But when the attack comes, it feels as if there is a real threat, and the body reacts accordingly.
“The discomfort and sense of danger the attack brings is so intense that people with panic disorder often believe they are having a heart attack or other life-threatening illness.”
Furthermore, panic attacks are usually classified as being part of panic disorder if they occur more than once and are accompanied by at least four of the following symptoms:
- Sweating
- Shortness of breath
- Rapid or pounding heart beat
- Chest pain
- Feeling unsteady
- Choking or smothering sensations
- Numbness or tingling
- Chills or hot flashes
- Faintness
If you suffer from panic attacks, the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (Sadag) advised:
- Deep breaths, inhale through your nose, hold the breath, exhale through the mouth.
- Avoid caffeine! Check over the counter medication or scripts, no caffeine or adrenalin.
- No malaria medication without checking your dose. Be careful when you go to a dentist, advise your dentist you have panic and ask him to have non-adrenalin in stock for you.
- Some of the weight-loss drugs also should be avoided.
- Educate yourself, know your illness so you can manage it effectively.
- Don’t isolate yourself, join or form a social support network.
- Always have two or three numbers you can call if you are in the middle of a panic attack. Remember your panic attacks do not last as long as you think: from the beginning of one to the end of it, time it; you will be surprised at how few minutes it is.
Pretoria News