Would you recognize a PANIC ATTACK -- If it happened to you?

General
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[ Not every health challenge shows up on a scan or a chart. ]

Panic attacks are sudden overwhelming episodes of fear or distress, often mistaken for heart attacks, asthma, or “just stress”. During an attack, your heart races, you feel dizzy, and your chest tightens. You can not breathe and yet, you might still try to finish your shift, attend the class, or walk into rounds, because you think it’s nothing or because you are too afraid to name it.

– A 2023 study published in the “Asian Journal of Psychiatry” found that nearly 30% of postgraduate medical residents in India experienced at least one panic attack during high-stress rotations. Yet most did not seek help, citing fear of judgment, workload, or mistaking symptoms for physical exhaustion.

– Similarly, a 2022 AIIMS Delhi internal survey revealed that 1 in 4 junior doctors reported recurring panic symptoms during night shifts.

– A separate study in “The Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine” found that only 7% of young doctors who experienced panic symptoms ever consulted a mental health professional.

Panic attacks often mimic life-threatening conditions like a heart attack, but there are key differences. Panic attacks usually come on very quickly (within 10 minutes), peak fast, and are often accompanied by intense fear in mind, shaking, or a feeling of “losing control” despite normal test results. In contrast, heart attacks build more gradually/slowly, often include radiating pain (especially to the left arm or left-side jaw or back and this is the striking difference), and are usually not associated with a sense of impending doom.

So how do you know if you or someone else is having a panic attack? Look for rapid breathing, sweating, trembling, numbness, chest tightness, a racing heart, and an intense urge to escape (most importantly). The person might feel like they are dying without knowing that it’s completely psychological.

What can you do? First, stay with the person, speak calmly and slowly, help them focus on their breath like inhaling for four counts and exhaling for six (with mouth open). Then guide them to notice their surroundings like “name five things you can see” and “four things you can hear”. Remind them gently that it will pass. If it is you, try grounding techniques like holding something cold, or sitting down at one place with feet firmly on the ground. If unsure whether its a heart or panic attack, always seek medical help immediately.

Panic attacks are not over-reactions, they are your nervous system’s way of screaming that it is feeling overwhelmed, unsafe, and in need of immediate support. These attacks are highly treatable with CBT, mindfulness training, and in some cases, short-term medications. But first, they need to be recognized and not hidden.

  1. Have you ever experienced symptoms like this, but brushed them off?
  2. Why is it so hard to acknowledge panic attacks in high-pressure professions like healthcare?
  3. What can workplaces and institutions do to make mental health support more accessible and stigma-free?

Let’s break the silence and give voice to what so many are silently carrying.

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Thanks for clearing my confusion through the detail explanation on Panic attacks

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Informative and very helpful.

Thanks for sharing.

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I would be able to know if i hve a panic attack now

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5

Well explained.
Informative content, thanks for sharing this.

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Informative can be helpful in future if anyone has those symptoms

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@drminnath I absolutely appreciate your strength in sharing this.

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I think many people have, especially in high-stress environments. It’s easy to mistake panic symptoms for fatigue, overwork, or even something physical like dehydration. The chest tightness, racing heart, or dizziness can be terrifying, but we often say, It’s nothing, because acknowledging it means confronting something deeper that we might not be okay.

in healthcare, competence is survival. There’s immense pressure to stay composed, to not show vulnerability, to always perform. Admitting you’re struggling especially with something invisible like panic feels like admitting weakness, even when it isn’t.

Normalise the conversation, build support, redefine strength, protect time.

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Thank you for explaining panic attacks so clearly, this really helped. I have experienced them too, and it’s terrifying. During my last one, I had vertigo, vomiting, headache, and even loose motions. It happened when my dissertation results were delayed, despite completing all my work, my supervisor wasn’t providing the data, and the uncertainty completely overwhelmed me.
It’s hard to explain what a panic attack feels like until you have gone through one. The physical symptoms feel real and intense, and the emotional stress is even harder to manage when you’re expected to stay strong and focused.

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I have personally experienced myself due to some personal reasons at some point i understood i should stop it myself by controlling the fact what making me get panic attacks it took me months to understand and finally I’m healthy without any panic attacks

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@Yash1612 Yes, normalizing this conversation is very important. It’s high time we should embrace our vulnerabilities with strength and more than that acceptance.

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Yes, sadly, I have experienced this while working in a toxic environment. There were moments I felt breathless, as if someone was choking me. The suffocation was real. At times, I felt like I would die the very next second. So I used to make excuses just to step out, remove my mask, and breathe just to feel normal again. Toward the end, I started losing myself, even forgetting basic things. It took a serious toll on my mental health. That is when I knew I had to choose myself, and I decided to leave. I think institutions and workplaces should create a culture of listening atleast, normalize conversations about mental health, also train them to respond with empathy.

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@Uzma_Imam True. Very difficult to explain what one goes through, when it happens and that’s why we are normalizing the conversation here, so that we all face it together and we know how to rise above it. Thank you for sharing your story, it is inspiring.

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@Tejaswini.V very happy to hear that. Thank you for sharing your truth, it’s a brave move.

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@drelu5 absolutely, this empathy is very much needed in today’s time at the workplace which is getting highly toxic day by day. And I can understand what you might have gone through. Very happy to hear that you chose yourself going above toxicity and this is the strength we want everyone to have. Thank you so much for sharing your side of the story so wholeheartedly.

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Thanks for elaboration on this topic.

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Well said, not every health challenge shows up on a scan or chart. One of my friend use to have panic attacks, I use to talk calmly to my friend. Make sure that negative thoughts do not enter into his mind.

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@MONA1 Thanks for sharing that. We need more empathy like that towards the people who are suffering from it.

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Such a great post mam! Thank you for sharing :100:

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In healthcare, panic attacks are often hidden because of the pressure to appear strong and capable. Workplaces can help by normalizing mental health talks, providing confidential counseling, and ensuring support without judgment or career repercussions.

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