What’s Happening to Me? The Mental, Physical, and Behavioral Systems Of The Body In Panic Attacks
Posted in Understanding Panic Attacks on by – Be the first to comment Tags: controlling panic attacks, natural panic attack treatment, panic attack symptoms
When a panic attack occurs, its symptoms are manifested through the three primary systems of the human body: the mental system, the physical system, and the behavioral system. In the mental system, the fight or flight response shifts an individual’s brain to begin scanning their surroundings for perceived threats. This high state of alert impedes on an individual’s ability to concentrate, focus, and remember certain items. If a perceived stimulus cannot be found, the trail of one’s thoughts can often turn inward. A person begins to blame themselves for their condition. These detrimental thoughts form a perpetuating cycle. As a person becomes more anxious due to their self blame, they are placed at a higher risk for incurring another panic attack.
When danger is perceived by the human brain, it begins sending signals to the autonomic nerve system, which forms physical system’s response during a panic attack. As the body prepares itself for “fight or flight”, it affects the normal operations of many prominent systems of the human body. For example, an individual’s heart rate begins to increase, which increases their rate of respiration. Because the body’s metabolism is increasing rapidly, copious amounts of fatty acids and sugars are released into the bloodstream as well. Because the brain and the nerve cells of the autonomic system are firing messages rapidly to one another, a tingling sensation or numbness may occur in the outer extremities. These symptoms mimic those of a heart attack or stroke, and they are often identified incorrectly.
Because the aforementioned systems in the body are preparing the body to fight or run, the behavioral system reacts by producing overwhelming urges of aggression or the need to escape. In social settings where such responses are not permissible, an individual can often feel trapped, which intensifies their feelings. As a coping mechanism, many individuals begin to avoid setting foot into public places where these feelings may occur. Far from being beneficial, this type of avoidance can condition unhealthy behavioral responses and affect the quality of a person’s life. Understanding how these three systems work in conjunction with one another during a panic attack will allow an individual to take an active part in devising a treatment regimen that will deal with their symptoms. If the symptoms are severe enough, the help of medical professional is recommended.




