What constitutes a "panic attack?"

[Anonymous]

I had a situation recently while driving that concerned me. I started sweating, could not control my thoughts, had tremendous fear that I was going to turn the steering wheel in the wrong direction and fly off the bridge. I was okay, but so very scared. I have never had something like that happen before. (I was alone in the car with my baby coming back from the beach. My husband normally drives, although I always considered myself very capable behind the wheel.)

I think about the episode now, and I find myself getting anxious and scared. I don't have a history of anxiety or panic attacks, but this situation was unreal. I felt as if I was loosing my mind. I wish I could describe it more fully, but I can't put into words what I felt.

Thoughts? (I am normally not alarmist, but I worry about driving even short distances now with my baby.)

[Anonymous]

Not doctor here, but as far as I know one episode does not constitute panic attack. You had anxiety that you were able to deal with.

My aunt suffered from panic attacks and in her case she had no case to control them. She was sure she was going to die, she used to complain from pain and had an apendicitis surgery for what turned out a healthy apendix because the doctors couldn't figure out at first what was wrong. In her case she fully believed that she was in pain, that she was going to die, that if she left the house she will die. Once she was diagnosed with panic attacks and started taking medication, things considerably improved and all pain went away - i think it took about a month or so.

[Anonymous]

I have had that thought more than once when crossing the Bay Bridge. I drive that way all the time since my inlaws live on the Eastern Shore. I get nervous about it, but it is nothing like a real panic attack, I have had those too. Basically, if you have to ask if it is a panic attack, it probably wasn't.

[Anonymous]

That sounds like panic, but panic attacks can be even worse. Along with the racing thoughts and sweat, there is dizziness, severe nausea and/or vomiting, racing heart, a very distinctive "RUN OR DIE" feeling and my ears ring so loudly that I have a hard time hearing anything else.

Do something about it now, get on the bridge to prove to yourself that you can do it without panic. The fear of the fear can grow into its very own monster.

[Anonymous]

I always panic going over the baby bridge - it is so bad that it best for me not to drive bc I panic I will make a small mistake and fall off the bridge. If someone else drives I have to close my eyes.
I think it is normal to fear certain situations.
I think a panic attack can happen once or several times depending on how you let your mind race.
I once had a panic attack over a medical condition - the more I researched it and symptoms I read the more my heart started to race uncontrollably - I ended up in the ER - turned out I was ok but my fear made me believe I had every symptom I read.

[Anonymous]

I occasionally have the same thing happen to me esp on the Bay Bridge or when I am blocked in on the highway by huge trucks. It helps to have a mantra at that time like "I will be okay" or "Everything will be fine." I keep repeating it over and over again and it gets me through. It does not stop me from driving though.

[Anonymous]

"Do something about it now, get on the bridge to prove to yourself that you can do it without panic. The fear of the fear can grow into its very own monster. "

I agree with this 100 percent, but the caveat is that I'm no medical professional and am only basing this off of second hand experience, so maybe you should talk to someone, as well. My best friend has a debilitating panic attack condition and from what she has shared with me, it started out as a driving-related thing. She can drive in the city around the crazies here in DC, where her life really probably IS in danger, but is terrified of highways. It started with tunnels, extended to bridges, and now includes on-ramps as well. A few weeks ago I had to pick her up on the 14th street bridge where she had pulled over. She takes something for this panic, but is pregnant and is not allowed to take it now so it's gotten worse. She told me that she wishes that she had just forced herself to keep doing things instead of letting the panic get the best of her because now, the fear of the fear is worse than the activity itself. She said she starts sweating miles before a bridge and that she knows if she could avoid getting worked up ahead of time, she'd be okay. She's usually fine if someone else is in the car, so after that episode we've started driving around town lately trying to get her used to things again. It's getting a little bit better but it's still very hard on her. It's clearly a very real condition -- I don't understand it at all but I have a lot of sympathy for her and for all of you too. Good luck and hugs! I hope you find whatever solution works for you quickly. oh, one more thing, in case this is reassuring, I also had a panic attack on a road once, but I realized that it was more to do with a bunch of external stress and it never happened again. So just in case all of these replies are scaring you unnecessarily, just wanted to be a reassuring voice that it doesn't always lead to a condition.

[Anonymous]

OP, I never had a problem driving and then one day (about 30 years ago), while taking the freeway into work I suddenly became anxious that I would pass out and crash. It developed into a full-flown fear of driving and for awhile I could only drive on local roads during the day. Eventually I was able to work my way up to driving on the freeway again and today I rarely think about it.

(Then about 15 years ago my mom started saying that she had always been anxious and that it had lessened when she hit menopause. She had been hiding it from us all these years. I was so angry, because it would have been nice to know that there was a family history of this!)

Anyway, this all is to say that this hit me out of the blue, like it happened to you. If you continue to have trouble, my advice is to deal with this directly, whether through working with a therapist who specializes in this stuff, or just working on it on your own. I've discovered since this happened to me that there are probably more women than you'd expect who let their husbands do all the driving because they're afraid to drive - they just keep it quiet. Don't let that happen to you. It can be very scary to confront your fears but you can get through it in time and you will feel better for it.

These days in those rare moments when I get nervous on the freeway, I just remind myself that I have had anxiety off and on over driving since 1980 -- and I still haven't had an accident.

Good luck, OP! Hang in there!

[Anonymous]

OP, you don't say how old your baby is, but it might be worth it to talk to your OB about postpartum depression. PPD can come on even weeks or months after birth, and one of the symptoms is imagining these sorts of drastic scenarios. Somehow your brain just gets into a groove and your can't "unstick" your thoughts.

Obviously you won't intentionally do anything to harm yourself or your baby, and your OB will know that and won't judge or penalize you. But s/he might be able to recommend ways to treat/manage this sort of thing so that you can feel better.

Getting help when you need it makes you a better parent. Good luck to you!