Any Get Panic Attacks With Purly Mental Symptoms?

[samtheman]

I may be an odd ball, but my Panic attacks seem different that everyone elses, I don't get the physical symptoms like racing heart and all the rest, All I get is like a mental rush, theres so much running through my head its sort of like it overloads and goes completely blank, I get a really cold feeling of being totally and utterly scared, I then just want to run and escape back to my safe place.

[nomorepanic]

That is more like an anxiety attack then - the thoughts without all the symptoms as such.

I get them too at times.

Have you ever tried staying and facing it?

[Ellen70]

Hi Sam, you must be telepathic as I was going to post a thread on this very subject. I do sometimes get panic attacks with the usual physical symptoms but mostly I too get 'mind only' panic attacks.

When I get them they come without any warning and the to actually describe them is really hard. Mainly what happens is:
1. I suddenly feel like I have never before seen the place where I am though it is always somwhere I know very well.
2. I get a feeling that I am looking at myself having this 'mind' pa from outside of myself.
3. I get a feeling that I am on a very high and dangerous place like I am walking on a tight rope high up in the air and I feel I am going to lose my balance and fall off.
4. If I have the panic attack in daylight I get the sensation that the daylight is far brighter than it is, almost unbearably bright and this gives me the dreaded feeling of 'unreality'.
5. When I get the pa I feel as if I have suddenly been 'dropped' into the place where the pa is happening and that I can't remember getting there and it all feels very 'unknown'.

The thoughts in my head that happen during one of these panic attacks are so hard to describe exactly and the above don't describe what happens in my mind exactly but it is the best that I can describe them.

I certainy believe that a 'mind only' pa is a panic attack and I find them far more terrifying than the physical symptoms of a panic attack.

Sam I would be very interested to hear what kind of thoughts/feelings happen in your mind during one of these 'mind only' panic attacks.

Thanks for making this thread,

Eibhlin

[feels_like_home]

Thank you so much for the post. I was doing really well for the past few months. Then today while at work I had what I call a "mental panic attack". You describe exactly how I feel. I just can't focus and feel so afraid. It can last a few minutes to days. I feel better knowing I am not alone.
Take care,
Michelle

[PITITA]

What a great post! And I thought I was the only one feeling this way, no wonder my mind went into override thinking..."well nobody really describes their feelings like mine, so that probbly means I am going mad and they just have anxiety", so thank you so much for starting this post, and I do hope there will be many more replies :)
I get mental pa's on a daily basis, while sitting in the office, they come suddenly, the whole feeling of unreality and terror, that something awful is about to happen, I can relate 100%!

[feels_like_home]

Hi Pitta...That happened at work yesterday...the depersonalzation and intense fear...I could't concentrate...now I am afraid it will happen again. It feels horrible. I know how you feel.
Michelle

[Ellen70]

Hi Pit and FLH, I usually get these 'mind only' panic attacks when I am driving, especially if I am driving on straight roads where you can see for miles ahead of you. I get them other places as well but the driving is the worst one. I go to great lenghts now to avoid driving on certain roads that give me these kinds of panic attacks.

Eibhlin

[eventide]

Yes I can completely relate to this too. I used to have some extremely bad panic attacks of this type.In fact, at the time I would tell my therapist that I wasn't sure if it really was a panic attack as it seemed much worse.I called it the terror of the mind & is without any doubt the most terrifying thing I have ever experienced.

Do you think that maybe some of us just experience anxiety in a more mental way? I know that I'm much more aware & more afraid of my mental state than my physical. Feeling spaced out with racing thoughts is more likely to stop me going out than the symptoms of physical anxiety.

[clickaway]

I get symptoms practically all the time, but today was a bit strange. I felt I had a pain, but in fact it was sort of imaginary. The pain and distress was very real and quite severe, but if asked whereabouts it was hurting I would not have been able to answer!

[Spaz0r]

My PAs also more often show themselves in this way then the physical symptoms. It is really scary, and not much you can do. Though I have found the breathing exercises described on this site help to control them when they're at their height. Panic attacks are so annoying, it's weird how you can feel terrible, but people around you can't tell that there is anything wrong going on from just looking at you.