Can people usually tell when you have a panic attack?

[GingerFish]

People usually think a panic attack is like the dramatic ones you see on TV, where the person can barely talk because of hyperventilating, they clutch at their chest, they shout etc. I've only ever had one like that and it was on the plane. They worst I done was say loudly "**** I'm having a panic attack" and grabbed my boyfriend and the guy beside me arm by accident instead of the arm rest. Excuse the French but you know what its like when you have an attack. I was mortified.

Any other time I have had a panic, I can usually keep it inside. People who know me well like my family and partner can tell by little subtle things I do like I might fidget about (I'm bad for playing the drums on my leg when I get an attack or they might notice I have went quiet or maybe I well up slightly.

So do you guys mostly have the kind of panics you can mostly keep within or do you have the first ones mentioned? I think everyone who has had a panic will at least have had a dramatic one like the first. I find it interesting to see how panics manifest in all of us.

[crosser]

i cant keep it in when i panic... i have to pace around ... the other thing i find is people say there scared of dieing while having an attack where as i want to die... i hate them....

[AnxietyDJ]

I can pretty much always keep it held in... With all my conditions I have become so adept at hiding them from people that nobody usually has a clue... One of my main fears is people seeing me being ill / fainting etc. whilst in public, so again this leans towards me hiding it away as much as I can.

The outside is pretty calm and serene, yet the inside is anything but!

[JustJay]

Crosser have you spoke to anyone about these suicidal thoughts? About 14 years ago I was in the same position as you, I cried in my mams arms and told her I'd be better off dead and is thought about taking my own life, I was out of my mind. It took me a while but I pulled through, yeah I'm here now 14 years later, but only because of health anxiety, which learning to deal with. I do empathise with you, and in this situation, your family and friends need educated in what is going on with you on a mental and physical level, to arm them with the tools to help dig you out of this rut your in, you may not feel it, but inside you, you have the strength to get through this and come out a better person, wise for the experience and grateful to be living. I'm on here quite a bit, if you ever wanna talk pm me. I hope you're feeling better soon bud.

[GingerFish]

What do you guys do to keep your panics 'inside'? Like I have probably said, I'm bad for playing the drums on my legs so to speak or I walk about or use something as a fan.

[koala]

I was a dancer for years so im really good at acting "normal" when actually i feel the complete opposite. However people who know me well can always tell when im having a panic attack. I go quiet and stare into space. Apparently i also start chewing my lip though im normally not aware of this at the time. I also sometimes fidget or pace but i tend not to do things which draw attention to myself as i dont want to be labelled an attention seeker. Think my breathing also dramatically changes.

[krischoy]

Hi,

Yes you can feel it and notice it once your panic attack starts. You will feel differently, In my case I have hyperventilation. So you can really see it coming.

[KeeKee]

I think it depends on how you experience panic attacks. Mine were only really pounding heart and my body was shaky and I felt like impending death. I didn't hyperventilate. I think I could have hidden them if I was in public even though it would have been hell (I had my major ones in the middle of the night they woke me up).

[debs71]

I keep mine inside a lot of the time these days, especially when I am around extended family or people I have just met. When I am alone though, my panic attacks show by me bursting out crying. After I have cried, I start to feel better.

I had one recently during a family meal with extended family. I could feel it coming on - heart racing, sweating, feeling faint - but I just sat and did a lot of self-talking inside my head, positive affirmations like 'this is just anxiety, calm down, it will pass', etc. Nobody knew I had one. I told my Mum after the meal and she had no clue at the time.

I think a lot of panic attack management comes from (unfortunately) experience and time spent having to face them and deal with them. The irony is that the longer or more frequently you suffer with anxiety and attacks, the easier in a lot of ways it becomes to deal with them head on.

I also find distraction is the main weapon for panic attacks. Anything that can divert the brain away from feeling one come on. xx

[MayaH]

Often I can hide them from other people as y worst symptom is mostly disassociation. I don't get a racing heart but my chest feels tight or can hurt and I either hyperventilate really badly or breathe out because my breathing feels so restricted. I often come very close to crying during them due to the complete lack of control i feel but mostly I control them so people don't know I'm having one. I've had a few where I've had to be held by a friend to ground me and remind me that I'm 'safe', this si when they're really bad. I've only ever had one that was so bad I couldn't speak - as friend got a paramedic and he told em ti was a panic attack, encouraged me to have water and then left my friend to look after me (which they luckily did).