Panic attacks --- one of the biggest misconceptions of our day
You are on the subway, your favorite music playing in your ears. You feel calm, peaceful, carefree.
Then, suddenly a black monster assails you, you feel dizzy, you cannot breathe, and you no longer have control of the situation -- and there are no buttons to click to stop the torment.
This, in general, is a description of a panic attack. It is a known condition that is at the same time, underestimated. Public opinion, in fact, tends to adjudicate the issue with a simple statement: it is just a way like any other to say that you feel bad.
But, no, a panic attack is not a simple moment of frustration or discouragement. Like depression, this condition has very clear symptoms such as sweating, dizziness, dry mouth, palpitations, nausea, and shortness of breath. Everything happens suddenly, without you having the time to realize what is really happening.
A panic attack is a silent entity, which leaves you no escape. It feeds on your insecurities, devours calm and serenity, and makes you totally lose control of the situation. It all stems from fear, which even if unjustified, becomes a constant theme and the remedy is difficult to find, as each individual case is different.
Fortunately, there is an origin. And knowing this, the monster is easier to fight. A panic attack, in fact, affects a very clear area in our brain, which scientists call the "fear network".
This helps us understand that it is not a simple emotional condition, but a trap in which the brain is induced. A person physically feels like they are suffocating and they feel lost and alone. Anguish continues to rise and the general incomprehension about what is happening certainly does not help in understanding how tragic the situation actually is.
Moreover, because no one would intentionally choose to be hit by a panic attack and no one feels the need to invent uncontrollable fears that surround one's reality so as to fall, on purpose, into a huge black hole.
Therefore, panic attacks are a serious matter and must be dealt with in the best way so as not to downplay this condition to just a moment when someone is feeling bad.
