If you’ve ever suffered from panic attacks, you know what they feel like, but those who haven’t may not realize the full spectrum of symptoms someone in the throes of a panic attack might be experiencing. We though it would be worthwhile to share an excerpt from an article published on The Mighty that addresses some of the lesser-known panic attack symptoms. If you live in northeast Ohio and recognize yourself or someone you love in this article, we hope you’ll reach out.
I’ve lived with panic attacks for five years now. I’ve had so many panic attacks, I’ve stopped counting. Memories of my worst attacks stick in my mind like bad nightmares. The time I was house-sitting for my friend. The countless attacks in my college dorm room. I will never forget them.
When I have panic attacks, I have the symptoms everyone always mentions. These are the symptoms you can quickly find with a Google search of “What is a panic attack?” The rapid, pounding heartbeat that feels like a giant bird is stuck in my chest, the sweaty palms, the nausea and the trembling. These are the terrifying physical symptoms of panic attacks, and chances are most people can say they’ve experienced something close to this at least once in their life.
Panic attacks are more than a sudden feeling ofanxiety. They’re much more than the feeling you get when someone scares you and you say without thinking, “You almost gave me a panic attack!” Panic attacks can be incredibly traumatic experiences that happen over and over.
What people don’t realize is the physical experience of panic attacks isn’t always the worst part. There are some pretty terrifying things that can go on inside your head. Some of my worst panic attacks involve two symptoms no one really talks about when they talk about panic disorder: derealization and depersonalization.