Talk:Panic attack

I had my first panic attack while driving with my wife and children along a motorway between Glasgow

''and Edinburgh in August, 1981. I was aged 49. It struck with total suddenness. My arms suddenly felt incapable''

of controlling the car and I pulled on to the hard shoulder. I told my wife I felt very strange. I went into a field and lay

down to die. A minute or two later my eldest son came over to me and I told him I was about to die.

I eventually struggled back to the car and lay down on the back seat. My wife took over the driving.

We were on holiday from Northern Ireland and the rest of the holiday for me was dominated by a fear of this

horrible experience. At that time I had never heard of a panic attack, and I hadn't the slightest idea what had

happened to me. What happened over the next few weeks changed my life. I gradually learned about panic attacks

and took valium after a visit to the doctor. He talked about anxiety and it was attributed to tension caused by

exposure to horrendous terrorist activity in Belfast where I worked as Senior Housing Officer for Belfast in the

City Hall. I had first hand experience of terrorism, so it was assumed that had caused an anxiety state and

triggered a panic attack. In actual fact, however, I never had been conscious of any fear at work. I had become

accustomed to major explosions, murders, hooded terrorists, etc., and had actually been threatened at gun

point. None of that had bothered me too much because I had simply got used to it!

It was years later that we were on holiday in Scotland......

Over the many years since 1981, I have had experience of panic attacks on many occasions

and done a considerable amount of reading on the subject. There have been periods of years during which

I have not had a single panic attack, and there have been periods (lasting several weeks) when the attacks

and their attendant depressions have caused me indescribable misery.

At the beginning of October this year, I was working happily on my model railway in the

garage. Suddenly I felt my legs were giving way under me and I went into the house, where I felt unstable

and very distressed because it was so long since I had had a real panic attack. During the previous ten

years I had had perhaps half a dozen "thirty second" attacks which had left nothing disturbing in their wake,

but this time it was different. Over the nine weeks since then I have continued to experience varying degrees

of "instability" and have studied my state each day. I have found that when I think about it, it is worse than when

I don't think about it! But it has not completely gone away, and I think it must be a sort of "background

panic" for want of a better term. Of course I am now an old man (79) so perhaps it is just old age, but because

it varies so much I cannot see it as a degenerative condition. When I drive the car I am totally comfortable:

but when I get out I have to say to myself 'I am going to be absolutely normal' and I am!! There is a very very

close relationship between the mind and the body here. And I have noticed that the mornings are worse than

later in the day, and the more I walk, the steadier I feel. Perhaps someone may find my experience of

interest. I would very much like to hear from any fellow-sufferer.86.179.29.151 17:25, December 9, 2011 (UTC)WESLEY WEIR, BANGOR.