Panic attacks or something else?

[samtheman]

For years I always thought these were panic attacks I experienced but as the years go on I think it might be something else.

If you look at the what a panic attack is, its the racing heart being the major symptom, its palpitations etc etc. For me I never once had any physical symptoms such as the racing heart, for me a cold fear came over me, I was unable to concentrate, my mind just went blank, I got that feeling that nothing around me is real like I am in a dream, and the strong urge just to run and escape, where I was going to escape to I don't know. And when its all over I get extreme fatigue often lasting the rest of the day.

Has anyone else experienced my kind of mental panic attack or am I experiencing something different?

[Pepperpot]

I never get a racing heart. Panic appears in different ways, and yes it can appear just like the symptoms you have. You said you have had it for years. If it was something sinister, then you would have known by now :) x

[ana]

Sam,

I've been having the exact same symptoms you have been having, and it's been going on for 13 years now. I've had my brain scanned twice, just in case as I, too, was fearful that it might be something more sinister than a panic attack, but the scans came back fine, and I have had several doctors reassure me that what I was experiencing was purely depersonalisation.
Much like you, I rarely get physical symptoms such as racing heart, shortness of breath, etc., but rather, all my anxiety and panic seems to manifest as a mental attack - I feel like I'm not present, like I can't feel myself, and nothing is real. It's scary and I hate it so much. Also, the need to run and escape if what accompanies the strange sensations, along with the need to curl up and lie down. It's like the urge to get out of my own skin, in a way. The fatigue is the feeling that follows every single one of these attacks. I feel completely drained afterwards.

I hope you are feeling slightly reassured now.:)

[ray.olsen]

Hey sam there's actually numerous possible symptoms, you're right that breathing difficulties are the most common but the absence of it doesn't mean that what you had experience was not a panic attack. From what I can see in your case, you actually suffered from a mild depersonalization. Which means that what you may experienced was an anxiety episode and it never actually reached a full blown panic attack. It's advisable that you consult a clinician for you to be certain about your condition.