You can be addicted to panic attacks

[WiredIncorrectly]

My brother joked that maybe I'm addicted to panic attacks. So I had a look to see if that was possible, and it is.

An article in Psychology Today backs this up: https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/b...arn-how-not-be

It's interesting. The article talks about watching news about wars, natural disasters, etc. My thread the other day talked about watching hospital shows.

The strategies to avoid the addiction to panic attacks are very good. Strategy 2 is funny, but I have some of these emotional vampires in my life.

Take a read.

[Lencoboy]

My brother joked that maybe I'm addicted to panic attacks. So I had a look to see if that was possible, and it is.

An article in Psychology Today backs this up: https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/b...arn-how-not-be

It's interesting. The article talks about watching news about wars, natural disasters, etc. My thread the other day talked about watching hospital shows.

The strategies to avoid the addiction to panic attacks are very good. Strategy 2 is funny, but I have some of these emotional vampires in my life.

Take a read.

Despite having been written and published in 2011 (and numerous further events having happened the world over since then), it is a very interesting article and still remains as relevant (probably if not more so) today. The writer coined an interesting term 'techno-despair', which could plausibly be described as the then-equivalent of what we term 'doomscrolling' today. It was also of course written and published towards the end of the last GFC.

[pulisa]

Is this anything new though? A lot of people don't feel "right" without something to worry about.

[Lencoboy]

Is this anything new though? A lot of people don't feel "right" without something to worry about.

Exactly Pulisa. As I've already said on this forum hundreds of times before the media love to exploit people's fear and anxiety to the max, especially in pursuit of £s, $s, etc.

Little wonder our obsession with 'declinism' and inadvertently nostalgia has grown exponentially and seemingly intensified since the early 2000s, despite the fact that terrible things have pretty much always been going on within society in some form or another since time immemorial. For better or worse, it's the advent of the Internet, social media and of course the proliferation of 24/7 rolling news channels the world over that tell us about stuff (sadly sometimes exaggerated or even false) in great detail that probably wouldn't always had registered pre-21st Century, unless it was something mega significant, of course.

[ankietyjoe]

I don't believe at all it's an addiction to panic, or even an addiction to negative or threat.

The article is failing to differentiate the difference between addiction and habit. Two very, very different things that have some behavioral crossover.

[WiredIncorrectly]

I don't believe at all it's an addiction to panic, or even an addiction to negative or threat.

The article is failing to differentiate the difference between addiction and habit. Two very, very different things that have some behavioral crossover.

Ah, I didn't stop to consider habit. Yeah you're right, it's more habit than addiction and they're two different things entirely. Good point Joe.

[MyNameIsTerry]

Where is the high?

There are similarities but then there are between anxiety and many other disorders. The basic underpinnings of anxiety are part of being human and conditions enhance them into a problem.

So, addiction, habit, obsession? The usual distinction is addiction is seeking a high whereas obsession is seeking relief from something. But then you have such as bipolar where a high is being reached through risky behaviour but it's still not classed as addiction.

Perhaps it's more about classification than biological process?

But seriously, I am not addicted to feeling like shite. I might develop a co dependant relationship with it which is simply a matter of those neurons grouping together in the same way they do to learn a skill.

[ankietyjoe]

Where is the high?

There are similarities but then there are between anxiety and many other disorders. The basic underpinnings of anxiety are part of being human and conditions enhance them into a problem.

So, addiction, habit, obsession? The usual distinction is addiction is seeking a high whereas obsession is seeking relief from something. But then you have such as bipolar where a high is being reached through risky behaviour but it's still not classed as addiction.

Perhaps it's more about classification than biological process?

But seriously, I am not addicted to feeling like shite. I might develop a co dependant relationship with it which is simply a matter of those neurons grouping together in the same way they do to learn a skill.

I think seeking is an important word here.

Having had multiple addictions in my previous life (alcohol, cocaine, weed, smoking) and knowing how to quit addictions, it's the seeking behaviour that's an important distinction with true addiction. I wanted more cocaine, more cigarettes, and even more recently junk food. I recognise the same seeking desire to order a Dominos as I used to get phoning a drug dealer. Not the same, but very similar. Junk food lights you up in a very similar way to cocaine.

So, do we actually seek out panic? I think not. I think it's just self destructive behaviour patterns that result in panic. The subconscious instinvt to check for imaginary danger that the conscious mind hasn't quite got to grips with yet.

[WorryRaptor]

I always saw it as a dodgy connection in the nervous system. A negative feedback loop that keeps repeating eventually causes an inappropriate overreaction (anxiety). Kind of like an ectopic heartbeat. A swell of adrenaline can cause the heart to misfire. I don't think the body wants to feel anxiety, as there really isn't any kind of "high". It feels more like the nervous system becomes conditioned to react to everything as more threatening than it really is. That's just my opinion, and probably way off.

For some people though, anxiety might be their "safe place" so you could technically say they're "addicted". Deviating from their baseline could cause worse symptoms, so they stick with the dose they're used to. People with OCD can experience this with their compulsive behaviours that both alleviate a fear, yet keep the pattern of anxiety going. (I've just come out of a terrible migraine, so probably talking nonsense)

I think the catalyst for anxiety is different for everyone too. My anxiety seemed to rapidly switch off once I addressed a severe vitamin deficiency that had gone undetected for quite a while. I got sick of being told I was "just anxious" even though my body felt incredibly unwell, so paid for a bunch of tests. Had quite a few things I was deficient in, and my body wasn't absorbing nutrients that my brain really needed. I had full on OCD behaviours that completely disappeared once everything was balanced out again. (I had therapy too, which helped with symptom management, but the biggest benefit I felt was after I addressed the deficiencies) I believe nutrition plays a pretty big part for some people and their anxiety. I don't tend to discuss it too much as I never want to minimise somebody else's experience. Their anxiety could be a result of something far more complicated, like trauma. It's not a one size fits all situation.

[NoraB]

I always saw it as a dodgy connection in the nervous system. A negative feedback loop that keeps repeating eventually causes an inappropriate overreaction (anxiety). Kind of like an ectopic heartbeat. A swell of adrenaline can cause the heart to misfire. I don't think the body wants to feel anxiety, as there really isn't any kind of "high". It feels more like the nervous system becomes conditioned to react to everything as more threatening than it really is. That's just my opinion, and probably way off.

Anxiety is meant to deter us from making crap decisions that could kill us. We need anxiety; it's just that anxiety is supposed to be part of the survival system for when we where we encounter actual danger. These days, it's not the sight of drooling bears which trigger our fight or flight; it's our thoughts...

Adrenaline does muck about with heart rate. As does not breathing properly, even though so many people underestimate the importance of learning how to slow the heart rate down with breathing exercises. My breathing exercises are my go-to when my heart starts to go nuts, and it helps me every time. Well, apart from one time, and that turned out to be an allergic reaction to MSG!

I've just come out of a terrible migraine, so probably talking nonsense

I have chronic migraines; they're awful. You have my sympathy, Raptor..

My anxiety seemed to rapidly switch off once I addressed a severe vitamin deficiency that had gone undetected for quite a while.

Excellent point! Vitamin deficiencies can indeed cause anxiety symptoms - as can hormone imbalance, drugs, dehydration, lack of oxygen etc

I got sick of being told I was "just anxious" even though my body felt incredibly unwell, so paid for a bunch of tests.

I went through a similar thing. I felt really, really unwell starting 12 years ago. I've had anxiety disorders all my life. High-severe anxiety is my norm as an autistic. I am used to those symptoms, but my body was doing really weird things, and I've never felt so ill in all my life. The docs kept saying 'Anxiety!!', and I kept saying, 'No! Something else is driving this'. Anxiety amplified things, for sure, but it turned out to be Fibromyalgia...