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Panic Attacks

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Re: Panic Attacks

#21

Post by andygcook »

I’m a founder and suffer from intermittent panic attacks. This first one I had was terrifying. I ended up going to the hospital because I thought I was having a heart attack. Once I figured out what was happening and the pattern for the symptoms, they got a lot more manageable. Just knowing I’m not dying and telling myself that helps to calm me down.

The linked ESPN article in Fred’s post is really good and worth reading. Reminds me of some of the mental health stigma that founders in the tech industry face. This quote in particular resonates with me: “Depression, anxiety and panic attacks are not a sign of weakness. They are signs of having tried to remain strong for so long.”

Humans are only so strong. Intense pressure can forge diamonds, or it can crush you underneath it. My hope is that the stigma of mental health goes away, and training our brains becomes as normal as training any other parts of our bodies.

Re: Panic Attacks

#22

Post by modzu »

so are there really just magic pills you can take that stop panic attacks? this guys carries them around but doesn't say if he's had to use them.

Re: Panic Attacks

#23

Post by coldtea »

ariehkovler wrote: post #5

I've only had a 'true' panic attack once. I was running for a train and I slipped on the stairs and landed hard on my back. My throat closed up, my back ached and I couldn't shout, or call for help. Suddenly I couldn't breathe at all. I didn't know it was panic; I thought maybe I'd broken my back or something. Which of course made the panic worse. I remember thinking "This is it. This is how I die, here on the statio…

>My throat closed up, my back ached and I couldn't shout, or call for help. Suddenly I couldn't breathe at all. I didn't know it was panic; I thought maybe I'd broken my back or something. Which of course made the panic worse.

I had that happen once on my home's stairs -- hurt my back, and then opened my mouth but couldn't speak, breath, etc for a couple or minutes (or so it seemed).

But it's not a panic attack itself. Had 2 of those quite young (at 15 and like 22 or something like that) and never had them again since, but they're different experience (and quite scary), like people here described it.

Re: Panic Attacks

#25

Post by coldtea »

kozak wrote: post #17
Ftuuky wrote: post #2

I've only had one panic attack in my life and it was out of nowhere as well. I was riding the subway and suddenly I had this urge to run away, as if I was late for something but didn't know what. I got out of the subway and just collapsed in the platform, unable to breathe, shaking uncontrollably. It was terrifying. Reading about the "long fuse" makes a lot of sense to me. I avoid confronting other people and always…

Collapsing and not being able to breathe sounds like something more serious than a panic attack.

Both can happen during a panic attack. Or both can feel like are happening.

Re: Panic Attacks

#26

Post by timrichard »

From personal experience, years ago : learning to control your breathing is the key. Your fear of the symptoms can turn it into a self-fulfilling prophecy. When you've deeply internalised the assurance that you can defeat the symptoms any time you like by regulated breathing, you might well find like I did that they just stop happening quite naturally. It takes time and practice. Sometimes now when I find myself in stressful situations, I notice my breathing has switched over to this pattern without any deliberate intervention from me. Must be the practice.

There are many techniques out there (such as the 7-11 pattern, etc). I'd recommend practicing with any wristwatch or clock that has a ticking second hand. Breathe through the nose and not the mouth. In for five, out slowly for ten, repeat until comfortable. If you're not immediately able to do that, try holding your breath until you can begin. It's a great trick and general mental clarity hack to have in reserve.

Re: Panic Attacks

#27

Post by freakout »

modzu wrote: post #22

so are there really just magic pills you can take that stop panic attacks? this guys carries them around but doesn't say if he's had to use them.

No, there aren't. But physicians aren't psychiatrists and often the first treatment people get to treat panic attacks comes from their physician, and is something like a beta-blocker. By and large these are ineffective.

That said, the placebo effect can be strong.

Re: Panic Attacks

#28

Post by beager »

Moru wrote: post #18
NeedMoreTea wrote: post #14

Has happened to me once. All of a sudden I couldn't breathe and I had an ache in my chest. No doubt I was hyper ventilating, but I was also sweating and getting vision effects. Which had me convinced I was about to die of a heart attack. I don't want to derail, but this strikes me as very odd: "Right after it happened I went to see my regular doctor and got a prescription for medication that can calm me down in that…

If the panic attack is triggered by you being affraid of getting a panic attack, it might be possible to avoid it if you are carrying something you think helps. On the other hand just forgetting that at home might trigger the attack again. It's important to know why you are getting panic attacks in the first place. They can be caused by serious stress and burnout.

In my late 20s that did help me quite a bit, to carry a medication that could help me if I did have an attack. However, making the decision to not carry it after a while was supremely empowering, and helped cement the notion that I could manage my anxiety and calm myself down. And I do, on a regular basis.

To each their own I suppose. Also, if you’re reading this and struggling with anxiety or panic attacks, you’re not alone, but the thing that helps you cope may be unique to your situation, so please work directly with a therapist or a doctor!

Re: Panic Attacks

#29

Post by shrimp_emoji »

modzu wrote: post #20
wasx wrote: post #16

I've had panic attacks my entire life.Fortunately they're few and fair between these days and I can for the most part calm myself down when I feel one oncoming (they're almost always triggered by some event fortunately, very rarely just random ones). I wouldn't wish them on anyone. That feeling of "I'm trapped, this is forever, I'm going to die, this is overwhelming, I need to escape" is genuinely the worst thing I'v…

i too have found that they have become much less frequent as i get older. but even when they happened more commonly, just knowing what was happening helped me to cope. it was much scarier when i wasn't sure what was happening (was i going insane? having a heart attack?...). so im glad to see more awareness about it now, and hopefully people don't have to go through a long scary period like i did

Same experience. The first one's brutal. The uncertainty of what's happening and the fear forms a negative feedback loop, only making it worse. Am I having a heart attack? In my 20s?! But, ever after, I found them pretty easily defused with, "Ugh. This again. Yeah, yeah..."

The anxiety itself is still unpleasant, and sometimes it can take novel forms, symptomatically, which is cute (and a good way to jade you to legitimate medical issues). Fortunately, though, I've had nothing as intense as my first or second panic attacks to date.

Re: Panic Attacks

#30

Post by ariehkovler »

jms wrote: post #8
ariehkovler wrote: post #5

I've only had a 'true' panic attack once. I was running for a train and I slipped on the stairs and landed hard on my back. My throat closed up, my back ached and I couldn't shout, or call for help. Suddenly I couldn't breathe at all. I didn't know it was panic; I thought maybe I'd broken my back or something. Which of course made the panic worse. I remember thinking "This is it. This is how I die, here on the statio…

Sounds like you were winded https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Getting_the_wind_knocked_out_o... Of course being winded could induce panic too, but not being able to breathe in that circumstance has a physical cause.

Thanks! That makes a lot of sense.
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