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Recognizing Acute Anxiety Attacks - What To Look For and How You Can Help Someone When One Occurs

recognizing acute anxiety attacks

A panic attack goes from 0 to 100 in an instant. It’s halfway between feeling like you’ll faint and feeling like you’ll die.” 

- Unknown

Anxiety is a natural reaction to stressful circumstances. But like all normal responses, there can be a point where it is a concern. If it reaches that point, then it might develop into an anxiety disorder. In 2021, 43.2% of Ohioans had symptoms of anxiety or depression. Still, these symptoms can present themselves in different ways and range in severity. One possibility is experiencing acute anxiety attacks.

At SUN Behavioral Health Columbus, we help our patients understand the symptoms they are experiencing and how they relate to their mental health condition, as awareness benefits their ability to find appropriate healing. For those who have an anxiety disorder, recognizing acute anxiety attacks is the first step to learning how to manage one’s mental health effectively. Today, we are going to explore this further.

Defining an Acute Anxiety Attack: Are They Dangerous?

An anxiety attack is subjective because it has no set definition, and people might mean something different than another person. Anxiety is a normal and natural reaction that has emotional and physical symptoms. Having a combination of these symptoms, especially after a specific trigger, might result in people calling it an anxiety attack. In this case, these symptoms are less intense, develop gradually, and might last several hours.

For many people, when they are talking about an anxiety attack, they mean a panic attack. This is a symptom of different types of anxiety disorders, such as generalized anxiety disorder, and comes with highly intense symptoms that occur unexpectedly. The intensity of these symptoms often leads to the person feeling out of control or like they are going to die.

At the moment, an anxiety or panic attack is not dangerous. It can be terrifying, lonely, and like you are in immediate danger, but a single or infrequent occurrence is not necessarily hazardous to your physical health. Symptoms for both are typically short-lived. However, frequent attacks might result in concerns with several body systems, such as the immune, digestive, and sleep. Frequent anxiety or panic attacks might also be a sign of an anxiety disorder.

defining an acute anxiety attack are they dangerous

What to Look For: Common Signs of an Acute Anxiety Attack or Panic Attack

Depending on if you are considering an anxiety attack to be a combination of anxiety symptoms following a triggering event or situation or if you are experiencing a panic attack, there is a combination of possible symptoms. For anxiety, these might include:

  • Restlessness
  • Derealization
  • Rapid breathing
  • Sweating
  • Nausea
  • Pins and needles
  • Irregular heartbeat
  • A churning feeling in the stomach
  • Feeling lightheaded or dizzy

If the symptoms you are experiencing are a panic attack, they might include:

  • Chest pain
  • Racing/pounding heart
  • Trembling
  • Chills
  • Sweating
  • Nausea
  • Tingling in fingers or toes
  • Hyperventilation or trouble breathing
  • Feelings of intense terror or like you’re going to die

Both situations can feel terrifying to the individual.

Acute Anxiety Attack Timeline: When Do Symptoms Subside?

Once again, how long an anxiety attack lasts depends on how it is being defined. A period of anxiety after a specific situation will develop gradually and range in mild, moderate, and severe symptoms. These symptoms do not follow a standard timeline for everyone or have a well-defined peak of symptom intensity. Sometimes, anxiety that occurs in this way can develop into a panic attack, but not everyone will have this experience.

On the other hand, panic attacks do have a known duration length. Unlike periods of anxiety after a specific situation, these typically occur without warning. While a panic attack can happen due to a trigger or intense feelings of anxiety, many people experience them when they are calm or even asleep moments before without an apparent cause. If a panic attack occurs because of a trigger, the intensity of symptoms is often not proportionate to the event.

Panic attacks also last between 5 and 20 minutes, though there might be lingering symptoms for longer than that. The highest level of intensity is around 10 minutes. After that, the symptoms will begin to subside.

4 Tips If You Are Having an Acute Anxiety Attack

If you are having an anxiety or panic attack, or you have had them in the past and want to know what you should do if you experience one in the future, some tips can reduce the intensity of the symptoms until the attack has passed.

1) Observe and acknowledge the panic attack

This might not be easy at first. Still, it can become an effective coping mechanism with practice and assistance from others. During a panic attack, you might feel like you are having a heart attack or another dangerous health condition. Reminding yourself that it is not this and that symptoms are only temporary helps manage the symptoms of fear.

2) Relax your muscles

When you are experiencing high levels of anxiety, your body will naturally tense your muscles. Go through your body and relax each muscle one at a time. This will lower the tension in your body and allow you to return your focus to the present.

3) Practice deep breathing

With your eyes closed, breathe in slowly and deeply through your nose for 4 counts, gently breathe out of your mouth for 8 counts, and repeat as necessary. Doing this brings you back control of symptoms like hyperventilation, which significantly reduces feelings of fear when it is managed.

4) Practice mindfulness

Anxiety and panic attacks can make someone feel like they are no longer connected to their body or the current reality. Mindfulness techniques help by centering your focus. One method that people find helpful is the raisin technique. It doesn’t have to be a raisin specifically, just any kind of singular item, preferably one you can taste. Consider what the item looks, feels, responds to manipulation, smells, and tastes like. This allows you to channel your thoughts and energy to a single item that provides a sense of grounding.

What to Do If Someone Else Is Having an Acute Anxiety Attack

Suppose you witness someone having an anxiety or panic attack. In that case, there are some things to remember when helping them through a situation that is probably terrifying to the individual. Even if you or they know that they will be okay, an anxiety or panic attack often makes it difficult to think clearly or be aware of what is going on around them.

Stay with them without crowding them and remain calm. If you start responding to their anxiety with worry or fear, it might only make their symptoms worse. Remaining calm while giving them the space to breathe will de-escalate the intense feelings they are experiencing and allow them to know they are not alone.

Ask them what they need from you. Suppose anxiety or panic attacks are a frequent occurrence for them, or they are actively working in treatment through them. In that case, they might already have ideas of what they need. After all, they know their experience with it the best. Follow through with any directions they can give you on what might help them.

If they aren’t sure what they need, help them focus on the present. This includes guiding them through a deep breathing exercise like this one. Breathe in for 5, hold for 5, and breathe out for 5 counts. You can also use techniques like the 5 senses, where you ask them to identify 5 seen things, 4 touched things, 3 heard things, 2 smelled things, and 1 tasted thing. Both of these techniques are great for helping someone become grounded in the present.

Reassure them that they are safe and that what they are experiencing is temporary. Amid an anxiety or panic attack, time often moves slowly. The 5 to 20 minutes mentioned above might feel closer to an hour for the person with the symptoms. Being a calm and gentle voice reminding them that they aren’t going to die and the attack will not last forever can help some people find a sense of relief faster. Keep in mind that every person is different, and they react to anxiety differently.

what to look for common signs of an acute anxiety attack or panic attack

Anxiety Disorder Treatment Is Available in Columbus, OH

If you have had multiple anxiety or panic attacks in a short time, attending treatment for anxiety or a 24/7 crisis care center will provide you with an adequate healing environment that enables you to find a sense of peace. Anxiety often makes you feel like you have no control and like you are constantly in danger, but it doesn’t have to be this way. When you attend treatment, you will be provided with the skills and tools to heal from the symptoms you are feeling, including acute anxiety attacks.

SUN Behavioral Health Columbus solves unmet needs of adults and adolescents in Columbus, OH. Our no-cost care assessments connect you with our expert team, who will work with you and your doctors to determine a care plan that provides the best opportunity to heal from your anxiety symptoms. To learn more or schedule a consultation today, call us at 614-706-2786.

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614-706-2786
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