Expert Clinical Psychologist Aslı Kanizi gave important information on the subject. Panic disorder represents an acute form of anxiety. It is the sudden or recurrent experience of unexpected, severe fear or discomfort. Panic disorder can be considered as a reflection of the difficulties in the individual's life while confronting the existential realities of the individual. In other words, it can be seen as a result of the individual experiencing deep existential anxiety in the face of the compulsions, situations, tensions, expectations and uncertainty they avoid in their lives. Sometimes, it knocks on the door of panic disorder with the role the individual gives himself while trying to take part in a life in which he idealizes himself, that is, an individual that he is not, or forces himself to be. Maybe when the person expresses that he feels most comfortable in an unexpected place and moment, all that tiredness emerges and reveals itself at the moment when the person leaves himself most comfortable. The body screams, the mind gets confused and the breath loses balance. The self that we call idealized brings the desire to be perfect. This desire to be perfect creates a feeling of stress in meaningless actions when everything is fine on the outside and empty on the inside, due to the pressure the individual puts on himself to be perfect in his life. What remains are the needs ignored by the tired individual, who always feels obliged to complete things, who tries to do his best, the postponements about himself, or the anxiety of the emptiness that becomes meaningless for the individual who feels the satisfaction of being approved by others and without being perfect.
On the other hand, when a person has to face the real face of life, he experiences intense anxiety with all his efforts to be perfect. While this situation causes panic disorder, the feeling of escape it creates is the reason for panic attacks. Individuals struggling with panic disorder may experience panic attacks when they have to confront the inevitable uncertainties and contradictions of life. These attacks are a reflection of the anxiety felt by the individual who strives for perfection in an uncontrollable world and the desire to 'control everything'. Perfectionists are naturally prone to panic disorder due to high stress, the need for control and approval, and are more exposed to attacks due to their deep sense of avoidance in the face of compulsions. Additionally, susceptibility is often seen in individuals exposed to emotional, psychological or physical abuse and trauma. Here, handling and working on traumatic situations creates a healing factor; It would be healing for the perfectionist individual to embrace a meaningful life rather than a perfect life and focus on meeting his needs through effective contact.
Increased anxiety, intense stress, or events from a certain past may be triggers that create a certain sense of avoidance in the individual before the attack, which may cause attacks. While individuals with a history of attacks feel the symptoms of attacks, for some, these attacks may occur completely unexpectedly and at a time. In this case, sometimes a feeling of congestion, shortness of breath, heart palpitations and loss of self-control may occur with fear.
Expert Clinical Psychologist Aslı Kanizi said, “What needs to be done during a panic attack is to first take oneself to a safe and quiet place and slow down the body. While rapid breathing creates a feeling of breathlessness, deep and slow breathing will relax the body. Staying in touch with reality and listening to the surrounding sounds will further help you calm down. Touching on the compulsion by asking ourselves what is pushing us, where or what we are doing, what the need is at that moment will increase awareness. Reminding ourselves of the temporary nature of the situation will help the individual evaluate whether their anxiety is real or not by asking the question "Am I really in danger of this?" "By understanding his needs and feelings, the individual will become aware of the challenging situation and will be able to meet his needs," he said.
