Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Panic Attacks

avc.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

11–20 of 143 posts

Re: Panic Attacks

#11

Post by nicklovescode »

I'm a founder that has struggled with this (but it's basically been solved for a while). When Panic Attacks (https://www.amazon.co.uk/When-Panic-Attacks-drug-free-therap...) is a great book. Just being able to identify it and know it's not dangerous helped me the most.

I loved his anecdote of doing jumping jacks while having a panic attack. The lightheartedness of the way he approaches the disorder is kind of nice.

One weird thing that helped me was reading everything I could possibly find on panic attacks over some short period of time. Every paper, book, medication, etc. Unlike some disorders, the truth seems to mostly be positive (non-dangerous, relatively straight-forward ways to beat it), and so the more you know the better you'll be at approaching it.

Re: Panic Attacks

#12

Post by _eric »

gilgoomesh wrote: post #3

Panic attacks are so mind bogglingly weird. For a few seconds (maybe a minute or so) your brain enters a completely different mode. Then it takes a few minutes to calm back down to regular human thought, again. It's so weird it is difficult to come to terms with what happened. I spent a few months largely crippled by panic disorder (intermittent panic attacks spaced by anxiety – often about the panic attacks themselv…

> I spent a few months largely crippled by panic disorder

Yeah, that's kind of what happened with me too. Only that the panic attack itself was only 2 months ago; Out of freaking nowhere. I remember I was reading a piece of code and then suddenly I felt my hearting beating faster and just couldn't breathe properly; you really just feel like you're going to die - right where you are. And then, after it has passed, you are left with the anxiety of it all and all the bad thoughts. I had to take medications for high blood pressure because mine was like 16/9, and my normal is 12/8 (I'm 29 and I exercise daily).

After 2 months visiting doctors I can say I'm "normal" again, but I have to be aware of the "long fuse" thing, because that seems to be the real killer.

Re: Panic Attacks

#13

Post by gilgoomesh »

gilgoomesh wrote: post #3

Panic attacks are so mind bogglingly weird. For a few seconds (maybe a minute or so) your brain enters a completely different mode. Then it takes a few minutes to calm back down to regular human thought, again. It's so weird it is difficult to come to terms with what happened. I spent a few months largely crippled by panic disorder (intermittent panic attacks spaced by anxiety – often about the panic attacks themselv…

Since everyone else is saying what worked for them... I didn't fix them with medication, breathing or lifestyle. I saw a therapist (CBT) for a few months and she suggested leaning into the panic attack: when you feel one coming on, deliberately try to trigger it. They whither away when you embrace them.

The underlying anxiety is a separate issue and required a few years of practiced mental discipline. Sorry, no silver bullets there.

Re: Panic Attacks

#14

Post by NeedMoreTea »

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 situation"

I mentioned it to doc at next visit, quite some time later. He also decided it was probably just a panic attack and unless they start to repeat to forget about it. It wouldn't occur to me to seek and carry medication for something that happened once in a lifetime. Unless it had turned out to be the symptoms of something serious and life threatening.

Re: Panic Attacks

#16

Post by wasx »

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've ever experienced. The brain misfiring the trigger that gets pulled when you're in a life or death situation is terrifying.

Fortunately recognizing that it's just a chemical response and I don't have an infinite supply of those chemicals and it will all be ok in a moment is one of the most calming thoughts and one that I always turn to when I'm panicking. Also remembering that I've felt amazing between panic attacks reminds me that soon I will feel that way again.

Just a few thoughts I turn to when I need to white knuckle that wave of panic that might be able to help someone else out.

Re: Panic Attacks

#17

Post by kozak »

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.

Re: Panic Attacks

#18

Post by Moru »

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.

Re: Panic Attacks

#19

Post by Tharkun »

_eric wrote: post #12
gilgoomesh wrote: post #3

Panic attacks are so mind bogglingly weird. For a few seconds (maybe a minute or so) your brain enters a completely different mode. Then it takes a few minutes to calm back down to regular human thought, again. It's so weird it is difficult to come to terms with what happened. I spent a few months largely crippled by panic disorder (intermittent panic attacks spaced by anxiety – often about the panic attacks themselv…

> I spent a few months largely crippled by panic disorder Yeah, that's kind of what happened with me too. Only that the panic attack itself was only 2 months ago; Out of freaking nowhere. I remember I was reading a piece of code and then suddenly I felt my hearting beating faster and just couldn't breathe properly; you really just feel like you're going to die - right where you are. And then, after it has passed, you…

> then suddenly I felt my hearting beating faster and just couldn't breathe properly; you really just feel like you're going to die - right where you are

That's exactly my experience. I didn't know what was happening. I'd never had a panic attack before and it came totally out of nowhere. Someone ended up phoning an ambulance. By the time they got there, all that remained was the shame of having to say "I'm fine, please just ignore me". It wasn't until much later that I realized that I'd been stressy and anxious for a good while.

Re: Panic Attacks

#20

Post by modzu »

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
Post reply on HN