How to distinguish a panic attack from a heart attack? An expert tells the story

Severe stress, depression or exhaustion can cause panic attacks.

It is a state of severe anxiety or panic fear that is accompanied by a fast heartbeat and a feeling of suffocation. How can I tell the difference between a panic attack and a heart attack? What to do in case of a panic attack? What doctor should I go to for help?

What are the similar symptoms and differences between a panic attack and a heart attack?

Panic attacks and heart attacks have similar symptoms, such as palpitations, shortness of breath, sweating, and chest pain. However, in the case of a panic attack, the symptoms may last about 20 minutes and then disappear, whereas the symptoms of a heart attack do not go away until medical attention is given. Also, patients feel warning symptoms before a heart attack, usually several days in advance, and the heart attack itself most often occurs during physical activity. Panic attacks occur regardless of physical activity.

If a young man with no risk factors experiences chest pain, the likelihood of a heart attack is very low, but chest pain in a 50-year-old man who has smoked for years and has diabetes is likely to signal a heart attack, and that he needs urgent medical attention.

The main risk factors for panic attacks are mental health, but in the case of a heart attack the main role is played by the physical condition of the person, where the main indicator is age, cholesterol level, body weight, blood pressure level and other factors.

The nature of the pain may determine the type of attack it accompanies. A sharp pain behind the sternum or pain concentrated in one small area is associated with a panic attack. This pain is stabbing in nature, and it is short-lived and lasts about 5-10 seconds. During a heart attack one complains of pressing, squeezing pain in the chest, which spreads to the left arm, may irradiate to the right arm, neck, interscapular region, that is, they are most often associated specifically with physical stress - physical and emotional overexertion.

What should I do if I have a panic attack?

If you have had a panic attack, first of all pay attention to your body condition: you must focus on your breathing: breathe with your belly, focusing on the exhalation, try to find your body, become aware of its presence. To do this, stand on both feet, "ground yourself" - imagine that the fear goes through you into the ground like an electric current, grab hold of something or start shaking your hands, shaking off the tense state. If there's someone nearby, it's best to tell them that you're experiencing a panic attack and need help. You can try to verbalize your experiences: talk aloud each sensation, tell others that you are afraid. By voicing your fear, we reduce your anxiety.

What specialist should I go to?

With panic attacks you need to see a psychotherapist who has a medical background. The doctor will help you choose therapy, help the person and tell you about methods you can use on your own to relieve a panic attack. Self-help methods can be physiological or psychological. If these methods do not help, the doctor prescribes medication.

To clarify this disease, the doctor may refer to a cardiologist to rule out pathology of the cardiovascular system, to an endocrinologist to rule out diseases of the thyroid gland, to a pulmonologist to rule out diseases of the respiratory system.