The pandemic left mental health with worrying figures. For example, diagnoses of anxiety worldwide increased by 25%, according to the World Health Organization. The same thing happened with panic attacks, which, according to María Mercedes Uribe Isaza, director of the Uniremington Psychiatry program, are more frequent in the post-pandemic era.
Giving clues on what to do if you have a panic attack is essential today, as is a guide that works for people who are in a situation in which someone else experience one of these crises.
Panic attacks are sudden moments of intense emotions such as fear, panic, and anxiety, and they often overwhelm people. Mercedes Uribe explains that the crises are unmotivated and there is not something specific that generates them. They tend to be self-resolving (dissipate on their own) and usually have a high intensity duration of 10 to 15 minutes.
Some of the initial symptoms are racing heart, profuse sweating, confusion, and tremor. “If we observe that the person is breathing rapidly, it is best to shield them with a paper bag so that they can breathe inside it and hyperventilation does not occur, because this can affect the functionality of the patient”, says María Mercedes.
Others may feel chest pain and a sensation of detachment from reality or from themselves, as if they were not there. If at any given moment you identify any of these symptoms, it is important to recognize that you are about to (or are already) having a panic attack and the first recommendation is to take a deep breath so that the body relaxes, close your eyes or find an object to focus on. to focus attention on it.
What if I am with a person who is having a panic attack?
The psychologist Mauricio Gómez from the Digital Hospital of the Faculty of Medicine of the U of A, explains that psychological first aid are strategies used to support the person who is in crisis. “These people are often in a complex situation on an emotional level that they are not capable of dealing with alone,” he says.
From psychology there is a strategy called ABCDE protocol To properly apply psychological first aid.
A: Actively listen to what the person experiencing the panic attack is saying and also be aware of their movements in order to understand a little more about what is happening.
B: Learn breathing strategies to obtain a relaxation result in the person who is in crisis. An example is the diaphragmatic breathing —inhale slowly through the nose and then exhale through the mouth using the diaphragm. An easy way to understand it is to ask the person to inflate and deflate the stomach while breathing.
C: Categorize the specific needs of the person and rank them. If they are more important at the moment the physical, mental, emotional. And what solutions you can offer the other person. For example, if the person is crying, try to calm them down, if they have a repetitive negative thought, help them to dissipate.
D: Refer to support networks. They can be relatives, friends or even institutional networks that can support a person who is unwell.
E: Psychoeducation is key for the person to understand what happened and offer care routes.
The psychologist Mauricio indicates that although these routes work in some cases, there are situations that require far-reaching attention.
“If a person has suicidal ideation, they require specialists and should be referred to primary health care. They may have disorders such as schizophrenia or be in a psychotic state with active symptoms. It is important that people recognize the limit of psychological first aid and identify which cases can be treated and which cannot”.
The most important thing is to identify panic attacks, act in the moment and educate yourself about these types of experiences, so that you can help others and yourself if you ever feel this way.
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