What Is a Silent Panic Attack?
A silent panic attack is a type of panic attack that occurs without all the classic physical symptoms. People who suffer through these attacks often are awash in fear or anxiety. To everyone else, though, the person may seem just fine. The individual may look perfectly calm. Inside, though, anything but is true.
It can occur at any time. There is no warning. The feelings occur all of a sudden. It can be very confusing. The person may not realize that they are having a panic attack. This can make it hard for them to get help.
Silent Panic Attack Symptoms
Silent Symptoms of a panic attack cannot always be seen. The person feels on the inside. Here are the top silent symptoms:
- Racing thoughts: The mind races out of control. Thoughts race through the head.
- Tight chest: It causes tightness in the chest and difficulty in drawing breath.
- Dizziness: At times, the individual feels a sense of giddiness, or that he or she might possibly black out.
- Numbness: The hands or feet can become numb, or a tingling sensation can occur.
- Nausea: An uneasy feeling in the stomach that possibly causes difficulty in eating.
- Fear of losing control: The concerned person may have a feeling that they are going to go crazy or lose control.
- Derealization: they may have the feeling of losing touch with the reality. Things seem unreal.
These are terrifying symptoms. However, they may not be shared with others. This characterizes it as the silent panic attack
How Silent Panic Attacks Differ from Common Panic Attacks?
Those kind of panic attacks are very different from ordinary panic attacks in very many ways. Among some of these differences are the visible symptoms. In a common kind of panic attack, a person might sweat, shake or breathe quickly. These signs are quite easy to see. People around them can tell something is wrong.
In a panic attack, these signs are often missing. The victim may appear to be calm. In actuality, they are not. They may remain still with little activity. This can make it difficult for others to determine what is wrong with them.
Physical symptoms might not be as intense in a silence panic attack; however, the emotional punch is pretty poignant. The fear and anxiety are just as real, and the person might feel every bit as scared as during a regular panic attack.
Finally, that type of panic attacks can be more difficult to recognize. The individual may not have any clue of what is happening at all. The person may even believe they are under stress. This delays treatment. Knowledge of the difference can help one to look for the proper help.
Common Triggers of Silent Panic Attacks
The triggers of panic attacks can be many. The triggers can differ from one person to another. Here are some common triggers:
- Stress: That type of panic attack might be brought about by high stress. This can occur due to work pressure, family issues, or money problems.
- Fear: Deep fear regarding something may cause that type of attack. This could result from a fear of crowds, heights, or speaking in public.
- Memories: The panic attack can be caused by trauma from the past. The trauma can be a bad experience or even something that may have instigated great fear in the person.
- Health issues: Health fears can induce a panic attack in your system silently. It is when you begin worrying about falling ill or developing some serious illness that the attack comes in.
- Social situations: A situation where there is a social activity can make one anxious. One starts having a silent panic attack. Being among people may overwhelm the person.
How Silent Panic Attacks Affects Mental Health?
That kind of panic attacks bear deep implications on mental health. Most importantly, such attacks go unnoticeable. They creep in silently, and they do damage as they do so. The results can be categorized into two classes. These are short term and long term. Both are devastating. Both require attention.
Short Term Effects on the Mind and Body
A silence panic attack may not appear on the outside. But the mind immediately feels afflicted. Anxiety rises. The heart races. A feeling of dread takes over. These attacks leave the mind in a state of constant fear. From the body, the reactions are also common: sweating, trembling, dizziness. The person feels boxed in. One’s breathing becomes shallow, the chest is tight, and it feels just like it is a heart attack—but it is not.
It leaves a person exhausted, the panic attack. The body fights. The mind fights too. But there is no rest. The constant struggle drains energy. The person becomes irritable. Concentration drops. Work becomes difficult. Social life suffers. Relationships get strained. Everything feels overwhelming. The panic attack is invisible. But its impact is very real.
Sets in the fear of another attack. That fear is what controls the mind. The person starts avoiding situations. They start isolating. This fear becomes their world. The mind becomes the prison. The panic attack has taken control.
They might even feel physical pain to some people. Chest pain, headaches, and stomach issues are common. These are not just signs. They are responses the body makes of silent panic attack. The body is in the state of alertness. Muscles are tensed. The body braces for danger. But there is none; it is just the mind playing tricks. The panic attack has hijacked the body.
Also, the mind becomes very alert. Each sensation becomes magnified. Some small ache feels like a big problem. The person becomes obsessed with his health, goes to the doctors, and keeps looking for an answer, yet there is no kind of physical illness. It’s all in the head. Then, the panic attack creates a circle. The person is more worried, the body reacts more, and it just goes in a circle.
Sleep is also affected. Racing mind is bad in the night. Thoughts just keep spiraling. It becomes hard to get sleep. Insomnia soon kicks in. The lack of sleep worsens the situation. The person becomes even more tired. The mind becomes more anxious. The realms of life become affected now by the panic attack.
Long-Term Consequences if Left Untreated
If panic attacks are left untreated the effects build. Short term effects become long term issues. Anxiety becomes chronic. The person feels anxious all the time. They become withdrawn. They stop going out. They stop meeting people. Isolation becomes their life.
Depression may also set in; the constant anxiety leads to feelings of hopelessness and one feeling of being trapped with no way through. Depression may come about also; this constant anxiety leads to feelings of hopelessness and that one is trapped with no way through. The panic attack has now taken over their life: they lose interest in activities and stop enjoying life—this happiness that they might have once had.
Physical health also deteriorates. When the person is experiencing chronic stress, the immune system spins out of control. Illnesses easily afflict the person. Heart problems, high blood pressure, and complications in digestion arise. The body is always under stress, and what the person is actually fomenting in a silent panic attack has by now caused actual physical damage.
Even in their relationships, of course, there is a lag. Sufferers become distant. They push away anyone around them. They stop sharing and communicating. It makes people around feel so helpless. They can’t know what is happening. They can’t see the silent panic attack. But they see the change. Regression to a shadow of one’s former self takes place. The silent panic attack has now affected everyone around them.
Work life also suffers. The person reduces their productivity. They start making mistakes. They make mistakes. They start to avoid the responsibilities they have. The panic attack translates into their powers of concentration in the work space. It starts to affect the decision-making at hand. It gets to affect the self-confidence one has at work. They may now lose their job, consequently their career. The silence panic attack has now taken away their livelihood.
Substance abuse may also result from the panic attack of silence. The person might tend to use alcohol and drugs as a form of coping mechanism. It might numb the anxiety. This only compounds it all. The stage of silence panic has now caused an addiction. This sets one up for another consequence. It is a downward spiral for that person.
If untreated, silence panic attacks can develop to serious mental illnesses. The common illnesses are generalized anxiety disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. The two health issues are disabling. They require long-term interventions. The silence panic attack has eventually transformed into the worst thing that could happen.
The panic attack also affects the person’s self-esteem. They feel weak. They feel ashamed. They blame themselves. They feel like a failure. This affects their confidence. They do not believe in themselves anymore; they stop putting in efforts. The self-worth has been destroyed by the panic attack.
This person may feel that all hope is lost without any treatment. They may feel like life is not worth living, and suicidal thoughts may come to their mind. Now, that’s a very serious consequence; the silence panic attack has now put their life at risk.
But there’s hope. Treatment is available. Somatic exercises for anxiety can help. Therapy can help. Medication can help. The person can gain control back. The silence panic attack does not have to win. Recovery is possible. The key is to seek help early. Do not ignore the signs. Do not suffer in silence. The silence panic attack can indeed be defeated.
FAQs about Silent Panic Attacks
What’s the difference between a silent and typical Panic Attack?
A silent panic attack occurs without visible signs. Typical panic attack includes visible symptoms. Both can be very distressing for the person.
Can that type of Panic attacks cause more severe health problems?
Untreated Panic Attacks may lead to Anxiety disorders. They can trigger depression as well.
Can natural remedies help to handle it?
Certainly, deep breathing and somatic exercises to relieve anxiety can control them. Finding them quite successful.
How would you know?
Keep a check if you are getting caught in some thoughts, or your chest is feeling tight then, there is a good chance for a silent Attack of Panic.
