Question:
Do I suffer from Panic Attacks? Symptoms?
Answer:
Ever since I was a little boy (5yrs old), I can remember waking up in the
middle of the night... I was having some sort of nightmare. Everytime it
happens it's the same principle - me being expected to do too much, more
than I knew I could. I felt completely and utterly stressed out and
powerless to stop it. When I woke up in the middle of the night I was
drenched in sweat, I was extremely hot, I was crying, and I would walk
around the room disillusioned trying to figure out what the hell was wrong
with me and why I felt so powerless and stressed... like I was losing my
mind and going crazy... there is always an annoying crackling noise (kind of
like white noise on the tv) ringing in my ears during the attack. After
about 30mins or so I could finally crawl back into my sweat soaked bed and
try to get back to sleep.
I'm now 19 and still experience the same nightmare. Of course the situations
and details of the nightmare change, but the underlying fear of being
expected to do too much, being powerless, being stressed, etc is always the
same... so is the white noise I experience during the incident.
The symptoms I've read about panic attacks seem very close to what I just
described. The problem is these nightmares/attacks only happen maybe twice a
year. I read that panic attacks happen maybe up to 4 times a week. That's
why I think maybe I'm not experiencing any attacks... I mean twice a year is
nothing... but when it happens boy am I scared. I never get this during the
waking hours... only at night. Sometimes during the day I feel like I'm
losing touch with reality and I'm literally going crazy, but before it
really overwhelms me I pull myself out of it. I only feel like I'm actually
losing my mind for a few intense seconds, but it's scary nonetheless.
I believe these nightmares/attacks are induced by the pressure put upon me
to succeed. My parents are successful and wealthy and I've always felt I HAD
to live up to their accomplishments and be successful as well.
Anyway, does this sound like a panic attack? It's more than just
coincidental nightmares. I never even knew panic attacks existed until this
evening and after reading the symptoms my jaw dropped as I related them to
my nightmares. Like I said earlier the only problem I saw was that mine only
occur twice a year at most...
I forgot to add that I sleep very lightly. I wake up throughout the night
and feel like I could sleep all day and never get up. I can sleep for 10hrs
and wake up being tired the next day and yawning frequently. 10hrs should be
more than enough sleep. Also, the first meal of the day is hard for me to
eat. I am constantly hungry but feel nauseous at the thought of eating the
first meal of the day. I have to force it down.
Whether it's *just* a nightmare or a panic attack, the point is that you don't
have them more than twice a year. Many people experience the odd panic attack at
some point and then forget about them, often without even knowing that it was a
PA. This means that you do not have an actual *Panic Disorder* which requires
many recurring attacks and other symptoms. So you don't need medication and you
don't need special therapy for PAD like CBT. If you feel you need to find out
more about these nocturnal events and the underlying family problems you might
consider seeing a talk therapist. Or not, as the case may be.
Though he has these attacks twice a year, it sounds like he doesn't
sleep well night after night which is indicative of ongoing anxiety.
Lack of quality sleep in and of itself can make you crazy, as I found
out. I didn't know what a good night's sleep was until I went on Paxil
for a year.
