A Short Guide to Panic Attacks

Panic Attacks

Hello my name is Andy O’Hara, I used to suffer from Panic Attacks. I am one of the founder members of Panic Stations Self Help Group (PSSHG) based in Bury Manchester England. PSSHG was formed to help people who suffer from Panic attacks by providing a helpline and a meeting every 1st Monday of each month.

What is a panic attack? Basically it is a mental health condition caused from the bodies’ natural response to Fight or Flight, fight or flight goes back to the cavemen days where you were in a circumstance of being faced with two choices, the chance to fight or flight (runway) example being faced with a sabre toothed tiger!! Do you fight the beast to survive or do you run away.

Modern day example would be crossing a main road, do you stay there and try to stop the cars or do you run away to avoid the cars. Whether you are ready to fight or flight the body gets ready by increasing the blood supply to the vital organs to survive which in turn increases the heart rate and adrenalin flows, the breathing shallows to preserve oxygen and basically the body shuts down all un needed components.

In both the above examples after you have made the choice of staying or running the body settles back to normal. In a person with panic attacks the condition is permanently switched on and you are facing even the smallest situation with the fight or flight mechanism. Unless treated with medical help the condition becomes unbearable.

In all the time I’ve been involved with panic attacks no one has ever died from one. There is a light at the end of the tunnel and you can pull out of the situation in only a few months. PSSHG exist to help people who suffer by meeting with people with similar condition as yourself and by the use of a small library and speakers you have a chance to come out of the problem. Knowledge can be a great healer. I hope to enlighten you further in the next issue. See you soon. For help contact himnher51@hotmail.co.uk
Andy