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Ok, panic versus anxiety


17 years ago 0 8760 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Diva, Yes, panic attacks have varying degrees of intensity. Again, a panic attack is a sudden rise in intense fear and is usually accompanied by physical symptoms. Anxiety on the other hand is associated mostly with worry, negative self-talk and avoidance behavior. Do you have any more questions? Please don't hesitate to ask. I'm more than happy to help. Danielle ______________________ The PC Support Team
17 years ago 0 2101 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Thanks i think now i can figure out more accurately when i had a full-blown panic attack and when i just have high anxiety or what i like to call anxiety attacks (which i find are exactly like panic attacks except, well, i dont feel the need to call an ambulance or lie down lol! anyway, thanks, i will try not to attach so many labels to stuff and i will fill the forms to the best of my abilities! But one last question? Can panic attacks have different intensities? And if not , if they are always the big one like a 9 or a ten, why does the panic attack section of the forms give you a range from 0-10 instead of just 9 or 10? Bleh i dont know how to express this correctly but i get it enough with labels fill out forms as best you can and panic attacs are rated 9-10. Thanks! -Diva
17 years ago 0 8760 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Members, A panic attack is defined as a brief episode of intense fear and it is usually accompanied by physical symptoms that may include chest pain, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, dizziness, or abdominal distress. People who've experienced panic attacks describe experiences that are so overwhelming and terrifying that they really believe they are going to die, lose their minds, or be totally humiliated. These horrible things don't actually occur, but the chance seems very real to the person who is suffering the attack. I hope that helps to clarify. Panic as a disorder is marked by recurrent discrete episodes or full-blown attacks of extreme intense fear or dread. Do not focus on assigning a specific label to your symptoms, focus on trying to document them as accurately as possible by filling in all the fields. This will give you a more accurate view of what your anxiety levels are doing and how much progress you are making as you go through the program. For the panic scale, located on the symptom tracker, generally we represent 0 as no panic and 10 as being the worst panic you've ever experienced or equal to your worst panic episodes. If you had an attack, your panic scale would most likely be a 9 or 10. If you had generalized anxiety throughout the day, you would probably rate it as a lower number. Does that help? Maggie, You can print off the workbook to go through it again or you can set up a new account. It's entirely up to you. Danielle ________________________ The PC Support Team
17 years ago 0 2101 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
That could be a way to go about it :) I hope more info comes soon. Bit if it doesn't i might use your idea Maggie just to give myself some basic guideline :P -Diva
17 years ago 0 112 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
I third that for sure! The reason for why I am not even doing the course now is because I got stuck on week 2 and flipped ahead to see if the forms would get easier to fill out, and didn't realize I couldn't skip back again. So...I guess I have to print out the 2 weeks and go over it again, because there seems to be no other way for me to continue on with the program. I suppose there is always the option of signing up again but I can't imagine the moderators liking that too much. I honestly want to be dedicated to the course, so I would like to know how to measure different types of attacks/anxiety levels as well. Perhaps we should just all write down any limited symptom panic attacks (4 or less panic symptoms needed) as an actual panic attack...Hmmm.~ :confuse:
17 years ago 0 2101 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
But anyway, if anybody could help figure how to fill out all those forms it would be of great help! Thank you!
17 years ago 0 33 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Hahaha - I forgot to tie in why that is relevant to Diva's post! I, too, have a hard time figuring out how to fill out these symptom tracker forms. I feel like all of my attacks are pretty much 9s or 10s, and (with the exception of the anxious thoughts in certain types of situations - as described in the post above) I have a hard time measuring my anxiety levels outside of that. So with these forms I don't feel like I'm painting a very accurate picture of what's actually been going on with me.
17 years ago 0 2101 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
OMG! thanks for answering my post. I thought i was nuts and was the only one having different types of attacks and having different degrees of attacks and having difficulty telling what is what and how it works and what counts as a apanic attack. Before you answered i was feeling like a total spazz!!!! I am so grateful to you for sharing this with me! And yes i get what you mean. I get different types of attacks too. Some that i can control and prevent more easily then others. They also vary in degree. I only count the mega big ones where i have no control no predicctability and very little tools to stop as a panic attack. and i dont know if that is what i should do or if i should include other types of attacks inside the realm of panic attacks. This feels oh so complicated to me! But once again thanks for understanding what i mean and for responding to this post! It feel really nice not to be alone in this. Atm i could cry i am so releived. Thanks again! -Diva
17 years ago 0 33 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
I'm having somewhat similar problems. For me, it almost seems like I have two different types of panic attacks. If you're looking at my anxiety levels on a chart, the typical school/movie/exercise/driving type of panic attack looks like a hill that starts out gradually and gets steeper as it goes but then, at a certain point, it suddenly jumps almost straight up. If I can catch it before the jump, I can use the tools that I've learned here and usually stop it and bring it back down. The other type of panic attack - the one I guess I need more help figuring out - starts as a fairly level plataeau and then just suddenly spikes. I'm not really able to find that middle ground between normal and full blown panic attack (at which point it's MUCH harder to challenge my thoughts). I'm thinking there must be an invisible hill - maybe it's just so gradual I don't notice it until I've hit the "panic" threshold? Anybody else had a similar experience and been able to figure out what's going on? Since these types of attacks account for about half of the attacks I have, I'd like to be able to start working on them more effectivley.
17 years ago 0 2101 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
I am not sure i have filled in my week two panic thingy correctly. It seems to make no sense. But then again i have trouble differentiating a panic attack from just anxiety. I think i might mistake milder forms of anxiety attacks for just anxiety and that i only count the BIG ones like the 9 or 10 on 10 ones as panic attacks. And such my form made no sens after i was done. So my question is, do i get to fill another one later in the program and theother one is , if i figure this all out is there anyway to edit the one i have filled? Anyway, whatever the answrs are thanks! -Diva

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