Topic Tuesday //Supporting a loved one through a panic attack // Tues 22 Jan, 7pm AEDT

[Former-Member]

Was he able to say anything @Shaz51? Did you go over to him?

[Shaz51]

ammm @Former-Member, @Former-Member, @Former-Member, sweating , not sure where he is at all

[Former-Member]

I can see we have a few others supporting us tonight 😉 Has anyone else ever seen someone dealing with feeling paralysed from a panic attack? Doesn't just have to be our loved one, we may have encountered someone elsewhere in our lives dealing with a panic attack? In my experience I have also seen someone struggle to move and get quite hot and sweaty or even the opposite and get very cold and shivery. It has a very powerful affect on the body. 

[Former-Member]

Thanks for reminder @Former-Member. I will be listening in as I can. Finishing dinner at present. But I am here.

I was interested more for myself in the topic of panic attacks. I care for my hubby who has PTSD among other mental and physical illnesses. He is well medicated for his PTSD however, and has not experienced any panic attacks for some time.

Different story for me though. So I thought I might learn something here tonight. 😀

Hi @Shaz51 @Former-Member and any others as they enter the discussion.

Sherry

[Former-Member]

Hi @Former-Member, thanks for coming along - and yes we can definately still learn from your own insights and experiences too so feel free to get involved! Maybe you could tell us some of the physical symptoms you have experienced while we look at the next discussion topic as well!

So some physical things we have leart are that someones temperature could change, they can sometimes struggle to move, they can become incoherent or become confused. This will vary for everyone but there may be some common themes we can investigate together.

Panic attacks can arise from many different things, it can be symptoms of a diagnosis like generalised anxiety disorder, it can be a result of reactions to traumatic experiences or a reaction to a stressful situation. It could be a one off or it could be something that happens regularly (this can be linked to Panic disorder)

What have you noticed that can sometimes trigger your loved one to start to panic?

[Former-Member]

Hi. I have a friend that has panic attacks - they seem to come out of nowhere for her and it's been scary. I'm not sure how to help her when it happens

[Former-Member]

Welcome @Former-Member!

Yes witnessing someone having a panic attack can be quite intimidating. Do you want to share a bit more about what happens for your friend in that moment - some of the signs that indicate she is having one? 

[JPJ]

Hi. I’m new to this forum and new to experiencing panic attacks. My son had one around 6 months ago which landed him in an ambulance to the emergency dept. He is a lot better now that we know what they are because at first we were clueless 

[Former-Member]

At one stage Mr Darcy had a panic disorder Dx from his GP @Former-Member  because he did not want to go to work when unwell.  I was not aware of this at the time and it has not been an ongoing. He no longer has the Dx. 

[Former-Member]

@ Lauz She will lay on the floor sometimes and not want to move - she says things like its hard to breathe. She then gets quite hot. I was only there with her once for this