5 Types of Panic Attacks and How To Cope With Them
There is a wide range of experiences that people can have with panic attacks. Here we outline some of the most common different types of panic attacks, and how to help yourself if you experience any of these.
Suffering from panic attacks is highly unpleasant. There is a wide range of experiences that people can have with panic attacks. These experiences can be classified into some key categories.
Here we outline some of the most common different types of panic attacks, and how to help yourself if you experience any of these.
1. Expected panic attacks
An expected panic attack is one that is set off by a trigger in the environment that the person is aware of. For example, being faced with something you have a fear of (spiders anyone?), or other situations that may bring about anxiety for a person, like social anxiety.
It doesn’t mean that anxiety-provoking situations will always cause panic attacks, but that this can happen for people who are prone to panic attacks or have particularly intense fears.
When an expected panic attack occurs, it can cause a person to avoid whatever trigger set them off, to try and prevent future panic attacks. But often this can have a limiting and detrimental impact on a person’s life. For instance, if someone’s panic attacks are triggered by social situations, then they may become socially isolated, which can impact various aspects of health and wellbeing.
2. Unexpected panic attacks
Sometimes people can experience a panic attack out of nowhere. Unexpected panic attacks have no obvious triggers and might not have anything to do with the external environment—meaning they can occur just about anywhere, anytime.
Understandably, unexpected panic attacks are not only distressing in the moment, but can lead to a constant fear of one happening—that is, the unpredictability of it can make them even more distressing. Recurring, unexpected panic attacks and the constant fear that often comes with it is typically considered panic disorder.
Researchers and professionals have attempted to understand what may cause an unexpected panic attack. One possibility is that it arises from internal triggers—bodily sensations that are normal (like slightly increased breathing rate from physical exertion, or a slight head spin from standing up too fast) but that the brain misinterprets as being dangerous, leading to a panic response.
This process can happen outside of conscious awareness, which is why it’s so tricky to predict. People who are prone to worry about their health may be particularly sensitive to this.
A person who experiences unexpected panic attacks regularly may become constantly on-edge and may avoid a lot of situations, especially those where escape might be difficult or they might be embarrassed if a panic attack happens.
The fear of being in a situation that might be hard to escape from or get help is known as agoraphobia—at its worst, this condition can make it difficult for people to even leave the house.
3. Nocturnal panic attacks
Nocturnal panic attacks are when a person is woken up unexpectedly by symptoms of panic. It may even cause someone to become fearful of sleep and purposely reduce or change their sleeping habits.
The fear of sleep makes a person more sensitive to possible signs of panic while sleeping, reinforces the belief that sleep is dangerous, and can lead to sleep deprivation which further aggravates mental health challenges.
Causes of nocturnal panic attacks remain largely unknown, but there are some theories that it may be a combination of a hypersensitivity to changes in breathing rate, as well as a fear of being out of control when in the vulnerable state of sleep.
4. Fight/flight mode panic attack
A panic attack occurs when your brain thinks you are in danger and starts pumping blood faster into your muscles to prepare you to either defend yourself or run away. This is similar to what happens in anxiety generally, but in panic it is much more sudden and intense.
The most common type of panic attack includes sensations that are the direct result of this “fight or flight” mode—a pounding heart, rapid breathing, possibly even chest pain and dizziness. It might be so intense that you think you’re having a major medical emergency, like a heart attack or that you might pass out.
5. Freeze mode: Dissociative panic attack
The freeze mode is a particularly severe panic attack in which your brain is in such a heightened state of threat that it cannot handle the overload and tries to shut it out. This can result in a dissociative panic attack—a feeling that you are detached from your body or surroundings. To an observer, it can look like the person has gone blank and might not be able to respond.
A dissociative panic attack can look and feel quite different from other types of panic attack and the person might not recognise what is happening, and neither can those around them, which can cause confusion and fear.
The freeze mode is more likely to happen for those who suffer from PTSD. When someone goes through an extreme life-threatening situation, the brain often detaches from reality in order to cope. The brain can then be triggered back into this detached state at the slightest reminder of the trauma. When this happens very suddenly and lasts for several minutes, it can be considered a form of panic attack.
If this sounds like something you may be experiencing, we highly recommend speaking to a qualified therapist.
Managing panic attacks: Ease panic symptoms regardless of the type
When dealing with panic attacks of any type, the first thing to know is that panic attacks are not physically dangerous—even though it can feel like it, you will not die from a panic attack.
When your mind thinks that the worst is happening (known as catastrophization), it can often actually make panic worse because it adds to the perception of danger.
Knowing what a panic attack is and that it is not physically harmful is an important step in learning ways to stop panic attacks, because reminding yourself of this when it is happening can help to lessen the sense of danger and make you feel a little more in-control.
Other panic attack coping skills include learning about your own personal triggers and early warning signs, so that you can use calming strategies—like breathing and grounding techniques—in advance of a panic attack happening. Prevention of panic is the ideal as, once panic begins, it is difficult to pull yourself out of it.
That said, avoiding situations in which a panic attack might happen is not a great idea, because your brain will continue to think that situation is dangerous and the fear will only grow stronger. Therapy for panic attacks typically involves encouraging people to be exposed to triggering circumstances and sitting through the panic until the brain learns that you are safe. It might not sound pleasant, but this is the most effective way to overcome panic in the long-term.
You can practice calming strategies in our Mind Ease app. Click here to download the app.
