AIBU to want to talk about panic attacks

[abeautifulmess]

I often see statistics that say x% of people will have a panic attack this year or 1 in x number of people suffer from them and the numbers always seem really high. When I first started suffering from panic disorder I didn't have a clue what was going on and it was several years before I really was properly informed about panic attacks. All that time I thought I was going mad and the only one in the world to feel so weird; it might have helped to know that they are actually quite a normal human experience. I guess people (like me!) are pretty good at hiding them.

AIBU to want to talk about panic attacks without people thinking less of me? Has anyone here experienced one? Are they really that common?

I don't get them as bad as you, I actually thought it was the menopause/undiagnosed heart condition before the GP told me it was palpitations related to anxiety.

I changed my job (got rid of a C of a manager) and lost 5.5 stone, I no longer suffer with hot flushes/palpitations.

I get panic attacks on quite a regular basis. They’re absolutely horrible but I guess you learn to live with them like anything else.

I don’t suppose anyone would think less of you for wanting to talk about them. Personally, I don’t discuss them with anyone other than my DH (who always knows just by looking at me if one is imminent and is usually responsible for dealing with me) and medical professionals. Not because I’m embarrassed but because I just don’t want to.

I also suspect that everyone experiences them slightly differently, so one person’s particular experience will not be the same as another’s.

@Calic0 I wonder whether there could be more information/education about what they are and how they can make you feel. Did you know anything about them begore you first had one?