[Ammi]

A panic attack is a sudden surge of overwhelming anxiety and fear. Your heart pounds and you can’t breathe. You may even feel like you’re dying or going crazy. Left untreated, panic attacks can lead to panic disorder and other problems. They may even cause you to withdraw from normal activities.

In many cases, panic attacks strike out of the blue, without any warning. Often, there is no clear reason for the attack. They may even occur when you’re relaxed or asleep.

A panic attack may be a one-time occurrence, but many people experience repeat episodes. Recurrent panic attacks are often triggered by a specific situation, such as crossing a bridge or speaking in public – especially if that situation has caused a panic attack before. Usually, the panic-inducing situation is one in which you feel endangered and unable to escape.

You may experience one or more panic attacks, yet be otherwise perfectly happy and healthy. Or your panic attacks may occur as part of another disorder, such as panic disorder, social phobia, or depression.


..if you have been watching IAC...panic attacks are a current topic of conversation...Helen seems to be a big sufferer of panic attacks....

...also, I had one myself not long ago...it was a silly thing and came out of the blue, when I was in the dentist waiting room....

..do you suffer from panic attacks..is there anything specific which tends to trigger them...how do you cope with them.....?

[joeysteele]

I've never had one but know people who have, it is really firghtening at the time,for them and those around them too.

[Livia]

I suffered panic attacks after I was violently mugged a few years ago. I'm fine now... but they were scary at the time. I didn't know what was happening to me and they nailed me to the spot. I couldn't have worried whether my hair was okay and I certainly couldn't have remebered to pout like Helen in IAC... This is not a qualified opinion, but hers don't look much like panic attacks to me. She was having tantrums at the start of the series going over the swingy bridge thing because she said she has "a terrible phobia" of heights. But she seems to have overcome that now, bouncing her way over the suspension bridge to the next task. I think it's all been acting for camera time, and it worked for her.

[Jake.]

I suffered them a good four years back. I had the fear that I was going to run out of breathe/choke on my food. Horrible things.

[King Gizzard]

probably every time I have to see someone that I don't know or have to get in contact with someone via the phone

[Kazanne]

Originally Posted by Ammi

A panic attack is a sudden surge of overwhelming anxiety and fear. Your heart pounds and you can’t breathe. You may even feel like you’re dying or going crazy. Left untreated, panic attacks can lead to panic disorder and other problems. They may even cause you to withdraw from normal activities.

In many cases, panic attacks strike out of the blue, without any warning. Often, there is no clear reason for the attack. They may even occur when you’re relaxed or asleep.

A panic attack may be a one-time occurrence, but many people experience repeat episodes. Recurrent panic attacks are often triggered by a specific situation, such as crossing a bridge or speaking in public – especially if that situation has caused a panic attack before. Usually, the panic-inducing situation is one in which you feel endangered and unable to escape.

You may experience one or more panic attacks, yet be otherwise perfectly happy and healthy. Or your panic attacks may occur as part of another disorder, such as panic disorder, social phobia, or depression.


..if you have been watching IAC...panic attacks are a current topic of conversation...Helen seems to be a big sufferer of panic attacks....

...also, I had one myself not long ago...it was a silly thing and came out of the blue, when I was in the dentist waiting room....

..do you suffer from panic attacks..is there anything specific which tends to trigger them...how do you cope with them.....?

I've had them,usually when I am in a strange surrounding with lots of people,I just try and grin and bear it and leave at the first opportunity.

[Kizzy]

I have on and off for years, mostly manifesting at night. 4am was a trigger for me, I convinced myself that if anyone was going to break in it would be at 4am...
And would lie there frozen with fear,it was totally irrational but any slight creak and just seemed to forget how to breathe...
It was watching a lady on 'this morning' with OCD that helped me change, she explained how her anxiety had lead to a heart attack in her 20's..... I was then terrified I could be putting myself under the same pressure, I got some help and advice and over time they stopped

[Ramsay]

I get them now and again
****ing awful stuff

[Lee.]

I think I've had one panic attack... I had a bit of a health worry (which is out of character for me) and was lying on the couch when I started what I could only assume was a heart attack. I had pain down my arm, couldn't breathe properly, my chest went tight and I coyld feel my heart beating really strongly and quickly. I felt dizzy and disoriented and eventually managed to control my breathing by really concentrating on it.. it was really scary, and since then, just in vase, I practice relaxation techniques.

I've seen my other half having one whilst driving... it came out of nowhere and was quite scary. The only thing he could think of which may have triggered it was the programme we had watched the night before about someone completely paralysed and only able to move their eyes.. it had made him feel claustrophobic and he had been thinking about it.

Strange things.. and I really pity those that suffer from them regularly.

[Shaun]

I only remember getting them when I awake from a particularly horrible dream... one time a friend was sleeping over at my house and she, quite drunk, decided to try and wake me up by standing over me and not saying anything... I just freaked out, and she was a bit freaked out by my reaction

But mostly it's because of a nightmare, and trying to scream when I can't is awful.

[AnnieK]

I had panic attacks for years during a really tough time i was going through. They would strike at any time but always when I was out and about. I got to the point where I was almost agrophobic as I only felt ok at home. I was put on medication and had counselling and realised that they weren't going to kill me and they got progressively more sporadic. I am now able to cope with them and know when one is about to strike. The worst ones I got were night time ones. I would "wake" to find I was unable to move and it felt like I had a huge weight on my chest. The doc said that was classic anxiety. Awful things but understanding is the key.

[Marcus.]

yes all the time if something goes bad or wrong i start

[Niall]

I've had them frequently since August actually. I had a seizure back then and to make a long story short, I sort of became incredibly panicky over going out incase it happened again. So I started getting really bad panic attacks for a while. They've thankfully decreased in intensity and frequency now however, but I still do get them every now and then. They're absolutely horrible.

[Munchkins]

I have suffered from severe panic attacks most of my life, they mostly stemmed from my eating disorder and problems.. and feeling very insecure in social situations and having bad anxiety, i still have them terrible if i am in a large social situation, as i feel very insecure and awkward, which usually results in me getting a bad fever, not being able to breathe, and feeling like the room is spinning around, they are pretty horrendous, but if i do not put myself in the situations i can avoid them.