I've been diagnosed with social anxiety disorder for about a year now, and is this what a panic attack is?

All day, i've been feeling ugly and weird when i look in the mirror, and my thinking is depersonalized and i'm thinking very negative, "Im ugly, i don't have a bestfriend, i can't hang out with my friends because im too socially anxious too, " etc, etc and seeing everything very negative.

These feelings used to be very often a couple months ago, but since i've been on prozac 20mg, i haven't felt like this for a while. But now that school has started again and it's now about a month into school, the feelings i felt before my medication have came back today.

if this is a panic attack, why do they sometimes last for a day or a couple days? what makes panic attacks like these start? For me this started yesterday and this morning when i woke up i knew i felt depersonalized and today was going to be one of those bad days.

thank you for reading,

Not to be insensitive, but this should be in http://www.socialanxietysupport.com/forum/f30/

This thread isn't technically off topic, but down here many of us don't know about medication

*Moved to Medication*

ShadowOnTheWall, if you'd like your thread moved back to the Frustration forum, just PM a mod.

Not really. Panic attack is when you're feeling like you're suffocating due to your surroundings or situation.

No. If you were having a panic attack you would instanly know. Panic Attack= death trip

Sounds like bad anxiety, but not panic attack.

Neither are nice, but panic attack feels overwhelming compared to bad anxiety episode (I get these too-the ones that last for hours).

I used to have panic attacks, but have recovered from them, thank f**k.

A panic attack feels like you're dying. Which is a phrase used so often people don't realise the terror of actually feeling like you're dying while losing your mind.

That said, your unchecked anxiety could develop into a panic attack.

I agree. Having SA comes a long with those negative thoughts.

No that is not a panic attack mainly problems with just being down. i had a very bad panic attack a few days ago because me and my fiance got in a fight and he left and came back and id been crying for like 30 minutes staright and i started feeling like everything was closing in and that i was going to be alone forever and i blacked out and (dont laugh) well i wlked away and went to the bathroom to try and relax and i blacked out and started hitting myself i guess and woke up on the bathroom floor screaming help and my fiance told me what happened it was very scary because i had a bloody nose and mouth and black eye. never ever getting that upset again i hope.

Having a panic attack is horrible, it feels like ur having a heart attack, believe me i have 11 plus aday

this thread should be placed within a different sub-forum, not the medication reviews sub-forum as it's clearly out of place here.

Hi! I do believe I've had a panic attack before at an airport. It was just this really overwhelming feeling and I couldn't breathe, felt really sick and felt as though I was on the brink of going insane. Like, with a flood of negative and self destructive thoughts. I've never actually been diagnosed with social anxiety but I think I'd know when something is wrong. It's okay, i don't have a same-gender best friend in the current school I'm at either and it feels kinda sad. Its like, I have a clique, but i'm not exactly really close to any of them. Some days i cry myself to sleep. I wish I could talk to my parents about this problem, but sometimes i'm afraid of being thought of as the problematic child and being compared with my sister, who is doing pretty well in life now. Sorry if i go on and on about myself, i've been having problems ever since school started too. Did prozaic actually help you?? Thanks!

I agree with most of what others have said. You are not having panic attacks. My suspicion is that you are experiencing repeated, drawn out bouts of intense anxiety which are being driven by the uncomfortable thoughts you are having about yourself.



This follows the form:

(Beliefs and thoughts about self) ------> TRIGGERS (High sense of feeling vulnerable)------->which then TRIGGERS(experiences of high anxiety).



The difficulty with this is that the more anxious we feel as humans, the more likely we are to have negative thoughts. Hence a loop back cycle is created which gradually ramps our anxious feeling up and up. This form of anxiety can last for days because the anxiety is kept alive by our thoughts and beliefs about ourselves.



Panic attacks share a lot of similarities with anxiety, but are still very different from anxiety.

(in fact because anxiety and panic attacks are similar, It is very common for feelings of anxiety to drive people into a panic state. This is because anxiety symptoms can make humans feel like another panic attack is coming)



You can think of panic attacks as being at the high end of an anxiety scale like this:-



<------|----------------------------------|--------------------------------|---------->



Fear/being scared <--------->Anxiety <------------> Panic attacks



Whilst it is true that some feel like they are dying, my experience is that what people believe is happening whilst in a panic state varies quite a lot.

These are a few of the beliefs I have encountered.

"I will die from a heat attack"

"My breathing will stop and I will die"

" I will faint and embarrass myself in public"

"I will lose control and do something dangerous or stupid"

"I will loose my mind and go mad"

“I will explode because the anxiety will not stop rising"


I have found that helping people develop an ability to think of something neutral other than their feared outcome when they are in a panic attacks can help them stop panic attacks immediately, however this ability requires some training before it can be effective.

hope this clarifies your question

No, what you are experiencing is not a panic attack. Panic attacks occur due to a false alarm being activated in the brain which signals danger when there is none present. They usually occur out of the blue and last for several minutes. This flight or fight response is very helpful when you are alone in the woods being attacked by hungry bears, but is not beneficial when you are in a grocery store trying to purchase milk and eggs. What you are feeling is definitely anxiety but more towards the social sense. If anyone has questions regarding any anxiety related disorders or symptoms feel free to contact me.

All the best,

Viktoriya

was very helpful for me, thank you

Picture yourself on small airplane 35000 ft. up. The engine dies. The pilot is frantically pushing buttons , adjusting the controls. You would be scared , freaked out anxiety through the roof, blood pressure up, heart would be racing and everything would be running through your mind.
Of course you are not really in this situation, but the way you would feel in that situation would be a panic attack.

Definitely not a panic attack. A panic attack is when you feel like you can't breathe, your heart is racing, and you usually feel like you are going to die. Sometimes people suddenly feel like they are clausterphobic even when they are in an open space. I've had them before, and they're terrifying.

What you are having sounds like some sort of anxious or depressive episode. Those aren't fun either. Sometimes they happen every now and then even while on medication. If this is an uncommon event, then it just happens sometimes. If it is persistent, then maybe you should talk to your doctor to adjust or switch your medication.

No, this is not a panic attack. A panic attack is where your mental anxiety transposes itself onto your physical being so much that you think and feel that you are actually dying.

Symptoms include:
hyperventilation
numbness of the extremities
dizziness
irrational, disabling fear
feeling like you're dying
chest pain
rapid, pounding heartbeat

What you are describing sounds more like General Anxiety Disorder (flared up during the course of your week.) That's a hyper-sensitivity to the symptoms you are describing.

I don't think its a mere form of panic attack. Anxiety attack which is also known as panic attack is the intense form of the body’s normal response to excitement, stress, or fear. It is rapid accumulation of overpowering sensations like; you are losing out of control, breathing discomfort, nausea, chest pains, fast heartbeat, the sudden feeling of fainting and the likes. If you have undergone panic, then there is a huge possibility that you notice yourself that there is this unexplainable fear that you might gone mad, experience heart attack or blacking out. Thus, in understanding anxiety and panic attacks, one should know that sufferers are not just over-reacting on simple things.
Panic attacks typically happen without a warning and its symptoms usually peaks within 10 minutes and last for about 5 to 30 minutes. There are as well, rare cases reported where an individual suffer from the symptoms for a day. Panic attacks typically vary from one person to another.

There are actually 3 reasons why there are people who experience panic attacks more often than others. First, it is because of their past experiences. Second, it is because of their daily lifestyle. Lastly, it is because of fear of losing out control. In understanding anxiety and panic attacks more, let’s specify each.

To discover and understand more about panic attacks:
http://curepanicattackv.com/understa...-panic-attacks

I've been through panic attacks and what you are describing sounds more like anxiety. Panic is that feeling at the top of the roller coaster just before it goes down...and it can last for varying times.