To determine whether you have panic attacks, answer “yes” or “no” to the following questions: Have you experienced attacks (attacks) of sudden anxiety, fear or horror during the last 4 months?
(Katon W.J. Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ) Panic Screening Questions)
Current panic attack detection test
To determine whether you have panic attacks, answer “yes” or “no” to the following questions:
a) have you experienced attacks of sudden anxiety, fear or horror during the last 4 months?
b) have you ever had similar attacks before?
c) do some of these attacks occur unexpectedly, without connection with a specific situation where you would feel anxiety or discomfort?
d) are you afraid of an attack or its consequences?
If you answered"No"for at least one question, this meansthat you don't have panic attacks.
If you answered"Yes"to all four questions,then take the test to identify panic attacks further.
1. DURING YOUR LAST ATTACK, YOU EXPERIENCED:
P shallow, rapid breathing
No
2. Palpitations, pulsation, interruptions in heart function or a feeling that it is stopping
No
3. Pain or discomfort in the left side of the chest
No
4. Sweating
No
5. Feeling of lack of air, shortness of breath
No
6. Waves of heat or cold
No
7. Nausea, stomach discomfort, diarrhea or cravings
No
8. Dizziness, unsteadiness, brain fog, or lightheadedness
No
9. Tingling or numbness sensations in the body or limbs
No
10. Trembling in the body, limbs, twitching or tightening of the body (limbs)
No
11. Fear of death or irreversible consequences of an attack
No
If you answered “yes” to any four questions, you are having panic attacks and you need to see a psychotherapist or psychiatrist.
Since the “triggering” factor of a panic attack is most often anxiety, timely identification and treatment of an anxiety disorder is very important. Published. If you have any questions about this topic, ask them to the experts and readers of our project
P.S. And remember, just by changing your consciousness, we are changing the world together! © econet
TEST TO DETECT PANIC ATTACKS (Katon W.J. Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ) Panic Screening Questions) A. Anxiety attacks. 1. Have you had attacks of sudden anxiety, fear or horror during the last 4 months? 2. Have you ever had similar attacks before? 3. Do some of these attacks occur unexpectedly, without connection to a specific situation where you would feel anxiety or discomfort? 4. Do you have a fear of an attack or its consequences? B. During your last attack (attack), you experienced: 1) shallow, rapid breathing 2) palpitations, pulsation, interruptions in the work of the heart or a feeling of its stopping 3) pain or discomfort in the left half of the chest 4) sweating 6) a feeling of lack air, shortness of breath 6. heat or cold waves 7. nausea, stomach discomfort, diarrhea or urge 8.) dizziness, unsteadiness, brain fog or lightheadedness 9. tingling or numbness sensations in the body or limbs 10. body tremors , limbs, twitching or tightening of the body (limbs) 11) fear of death or irreversible consequences of an attack If you answered “yes” to at least one question in section A and to any four questions in section B, you have panic attacks and you need to see a psychotherapist or a psychiatrist. Since the “triggering” factor of a panic attack is most often anxiety, timely identification and treatment of an anxiety disorder is very important. TEST TO ASSESS THE LEVEL OF ANXIETY Instructions. Read each statement carefully and choose an answer based on how you have been feeling over the past month. 1. I feel tense and uneasy: a) all the time; b) often; c) from time to time, sometimes; d) I don’t feel it at all 2. I feel fear, it seems as if something terrible is about to happen a) yes, this is so, and the fear is very strong; b) yes, this is true, but the fear is not very strong; c) sometimes I do, but it doesn’t bother me; d) I don’t feel it at all 3. Restless thoughts are spinning in my head a) constantly; b) most of the time; c) from time to time; d) only sometimes 4. I can easily sit down and relax a) this is not true at all; b) only rarely is this true; c) perhaps this is so; d) yes, that's true 5. I experience internal tension or trembling a) very often; b) often; c) sometimes; d) I don’t feel it at all 6. It’s hard for me to sit still, as if I constantly need to move a) yes, that’s true; b) perhaps this is so; c) only to some extent this is true; d) this is not true at all 7. I have a feeling of panic a) very often; b) quite often; c) sometimes; d) does not happen Now calculate the result: answer option “a” corresponds to 3 points, “b” - 2, “c” - 1, “d” - 0 points. Sum up your points. If the sum of points is from 0 to 3, the level of anxiety is within normal limits; from 4 to 7 – a slight increase in the level of anxiety, we advise you to consult a psychologist; from 8 to 10 – moderate anxiety, it is best to consult a psychotherapist to correct the condition; from 11 to 15 – severe anxiety, we recommend that you consult a psychotherapist and undergo a course of treatment; 16 points or more – a sharp increase in the level of anxiety; qualified treatment by a psychiatrist or psychotherapist is required.
Take our online test to find out if you have panic attacks, and if so, to what extent.
Signs and symptoms of panic attacks
The first panic attacks usually occur without any obvious triggers and often during stressful periods in your life, such as during a heavy workload, after a death in the family, illness, accident, birth, divorce or separation. Attacks also tend to "pop up" when you begin to relax after a stressful period. Some people experience one or more panic attacks during this stressful phase, while others experience several panic attacks in a row over several days or weeks. This, in turn, means that the person begins to fear further attacks and walks around in a constant state of worry and anxiety (called anticipatory worry).Answer each online testing question honestly, how you really feel. Keep in mind that all questions have a pre-selected answer. Be sure to make the necessary changes for each question.
Once you're done, click the "View Results" button to go to the next page for your test results.
An anxiety attack that is painfully experienced by a person, accompanied by fear, is called a panic attack (PA). It prevents the individual from adapting to a full life. A panic attack test is used as the first step to identifying the problem. However, the mandatory participation of a specialist is necessary.
Features of the test
You can take a PA symptom test online. If you answered yes to the first question, then contact psychologist.
Panic disorder test questions help determine your condition:
- Have you had any feelings of fear, anxiety, or horror over the past 3-4 months?
- If yes, please clarify, is this your first time encountering such sensations?
- Do you feel anxious about having another attack?
- Were the manifestations unexpected or related to a specific uncomfortable situation?
- Has the fear of death appeared?
Results on a panic attack test are not a diagnosis. Only the thoughtful approach of a certified specialist will establish the presence of the disease.
Determining the degree of panic attack
The line between anxiety states seems imperceptible, but the treatment differs significantly. Specialist Nikita Valerievich Baturin will help get rid of this illness if you have identified symptoms of a panic attack.
Think about whether over the past 4 months you have felt:
- Rapid, difficult breathing, lack of air?
- Excessive sweating, when sweat “rolls like hail”?
- Strong heartbeat (jumping out of the chest)?
- Lump in throat, choking?
- An unpleasant feeling of tightness in the chest, or chest pain?
- Weakness, dizziness?
- Numbness, tingling in the limbs, throughout the body?
If you answered yes, then take an extended test and consult a psychologist.
Clinically expressed PA is accompanied by fear, which appears unexpectedly. An attack is characterized by symptoms that frighten a person:
- sudden;
- a feeling of unreality of what is happening;
- chest pain, suffocation;
- horror of sudden death or loss of control;
- the emergence of fear of going crazy.
Note! The panic attack rapidly increases and reaches its maximum after 5-7 minutes. The development of the attack is observed for 15-20 minutes.
Such symptoms occur in mental and somatic diseases. The feeling of interruptions in the heartbeat, pain in the left side of the sternum is perceived by a person as a manifestation of the disease. An attack provokes an increase in blood pressure. The patient lacks air, and fear of suffocation increases. Dizziness and lightheadedness appear.
When a test for a panic attack and anxiety indicates that there are signs of a disorder, then you need to consult a psychologist or psychotherapist. You will receive specialized assistance. You become aware of a psychological problem. See what solutions exist.
Anxiety is part of a person's unique defense system, which is designed to inform him of possible internal or external danger. But sometimes this system fails and then a person begins to worry for no apparent reason or the degree of his fear is incommensurate with the degree of danger.
This condition is usually called a panic attack.
During a panic attack, a person experiences severe anxiety and cannot control it in any way.
Classification of panic attacks
Based on the nature of their occurrence, the disorders under consideration are classified into situational, spontaneous and conditionally situational.
- Spontaneous ones appear suddenly and often without any particular reason or circumstances.
- Situational ones arise as a result of strong experiences or traumatic events. They can also be caused by a pronounced feeling of anticipation.
- Conditional-situational ones arise due to the influence of biological or chemical factors on the body. These include drugs, alcohol, hormonal imbalance and others.
Based on the nature of the manifestation, it is worth considering typical and atypical panic attacks.
- A typical panic attack is characterized by a clinical picture with the manifestation of cardiovascular symptoms in the form of pain in the heart area, pressure surges. Very often, people in this condition are hospitalized due to the risk of developing a hypertensive crisis.
- With an atypical attack, muscle cramps, speech disorders (aphasia), problems with hearing and vision, as well as malfunctions of the musculoskeletal system appear. Vomiting and loss of consciousness are allowed, the apogee of which is excessive urination.
Diagnostics
To draw up a complete and clear clinical picture of the pathological phenomenon, it is necessary:
- analyze the symptoms that accompany the paroxysm;
- identify, if any, the symptoms preceding the paroxysm and the symptoms that arose as a result of the attack;
- determine the time boundaries of the attack;
- analyze factors and situations that could provoke an attack;
- analyze the pathological phenomenon in the sleep-wake cycle.
When diagnosing panic disorder, experts use clear criteria.
A panic attack is said to occur if the patient has the following symptoms:
- hypertrophied fear, reaching the point of horror and accompanied by a feeling of the inevitability of death;
- feeling of internal psycho-emotional tension;
- the presence of four or more panic-associated symptoms.
List of panic-associated symptoms:
- tachycardia, rapid pulse;
- increased sweating;
- tremor throughout the body, chills;
- feeling as if you are suffocating, shortness of breath;
- a feeling of tightness and discomfort in the left chest;
- nausea, vomiting and abdominal discomfort;
- foggy consciousness, dizziness, lightheadedness;
- disorientation in space, depersonalization;
- fear of committing an uncontrollable act, fear of losing one’s mind;
- fear of death;
- numbness in the extremities;
- sensation of waves of cold and heat passing through the body.
The key criterion for a panic attack is hypertrophied anxiety. The degree of its severity can vary from a feeling of internal discomfort to a clearly manifested affect of panic.
In the first variant, a panic attack is not burdened with an emotional component and is manifested mainly by vegetative symptoms. Such attacks occur most often in neurological practice.
The study revealed that as the disease worsens, the severity of fear during attacks decreases.
The number of panic-associated symptoms may vary among patients. Sometimes there are cases where full-fledged attacks are accompanied by only 2-3 panic-associated symptoms. These attacks are called "minor panic attacks."
But if the clinical picture shows 5-6 symptoms that are not characteristic of panic disorder, then such a diagnosis must be excluded. To simplify the diagnosis of a panic attack, there is a test that allows you to quickly determine this condition. The test is based on an index of panic attack typicality.
The key difference between panic disorder and other pathological conditions is the absence of a prodromal period. The attacks appear suddenly and develop to their peak within 10 minutes. After an attack, weakness and inner emptiness are felt throughout the body. Some patients report a feeling of “relief.”
However, confusion and sleep in the post-attack period are not characteristic of panic disorder.
When diagnosing this type of disorder, it is necessary to take into account the duration of the panic attack. On average it lasts from 15 minutes to half an hour. But there have also been cases of longer lasting panic attacks. During the tests, a direct relationship was established between the number of atypical symptoms accompanying the attack and its duration.
To obtain a complete clinical picture of panic attacks, it is necessary to analyze the causes of their occurrence. In most patients, panic attacks begin spontaneously, however, with the help of a detailed conversation, it is possible to determine not only spontaneous insurmountable worries, but also situational ones, which are a reaction to some “dangerous” circumstances.
Such circumstances may include being in a confined space, traveling on a trolleybus, speaking in front of a large audience, etc.
Panic attacks occur during wakefulness, mainly during the day or evening, but there are patients with attacks that appear not only during the day, but also at night. Very rarely, patients with predominantly nocturnal panic attacks are observed.
What does a doctor need to know?
According to the International Directory of Diseases, panic disorder is diagnosed if the following criteria are present:
- Repeated panic attacks.
- Panic attacks last for at least a month and are accompanied by the following symptoms:
- fear of repeating a panic attack;
- fear of worsening the attack, loss of reason and self-control;
- significant behavioral change caused by attacks.
Self-diagnosis
You can detect panic disorder yourself.
A special questionnaire for identifying panic attacks, developed by American psychologist Wayne Caton, can help with this. The test has been tested and has high validity and reliability
By reading the test questions and answering them “yes” or “no,” you can get the most reliable result, typical for self-diagnosis.
Loading...