Panic attack: A panic attack is a strong physical (vegetative) reaction. A single panic attack does not warrant a diagnosis of an anxiety disorder, even if the person suffers severely. Panic attacks are sudden attacks of strong anxiety that are accompanied by physical symptoms. These can be:
- Tremor: An uncontrolled, involuntary rhythmic contraction of muscles.
- Palpitations: A dominant, strong, pounding heartbeat, felt in the chest and abdomen, or/and in the head and neck area.
- Sweating (transpiration): heavy secretion of sweat. A special symptom is also called hyperhydrosis and responds well to treatment with hypnosis. This will be described in more detail on this website soon.
- Tightness: ideas of suffocating or having a heart attack.
- Vertigo: The sensation of spinning or swaying.
- Fainting: The feeling of about to lose consciousness.
- Fear of going crazy: The loss of control causes many sufferers to develop a fear that they will lose basic mental functions.
- Nausea: often associated with a sinking feeling in the stomach or nausea.
- Dry mouth: Swallowing is (unbearably) difficult.
There are also numerous other symptoms. A panic attack cannot be reduced to the above symptoms.
If panic attacks occur more frequently, it can develop into a panic disorder. The ICD10 requires at least four panic attacks in four weeks for mild panic disorder and at least four panic attacks a week for severe panic disorder as a time factor for diagnosis.
Panic disorder
Treatment of panic disorders with hypnosis