Psychologist explained the difference between a panic attack and an acute stress reaction

An acute stress reaction occurs in response to external stimuli and lasts as long as the source exists, whereas a panic attack is a "reaction to a reaction" - a fear of one's own state. Panic attacks usually have a psychological basis and can recur even without an obvious irritant, while a stress reaction ends after the cause disappears. This was stated by psychologist Oleksiy Udovenko, in a podcast with Yulia Zoriy, as reported by UNN.

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An acute stress reaction occurs only in the presence of a stressful irritant, says the psychologist. This is a natural response of the body to non-specific circumstances in life - for example, the feeling of hunger can make a person go look for food, he explains.

Everything then depends on how the body reacts to the situation that has arisen. During stress, for example, an explosion, the body mobilizes: adrenaline is released, the pituitary axis is activated, a cascade of processes in the brain is launched that prepare the body for action. An acute reaction is caused by the complexity of the situation - when a person does not know how to cope with it. In such cases, shock, panic, stupor, or hysteria may manifest - four main reactions to acute stress.

In contrast, a panic attack is a "reaction to a reaction" - a fear of one's own state, which arises within the person, and not directly due to external circumstances.

That is, if we enter this circle, when we begin to irritate our body, to think that I will now completely get rid of this state. And this is a panic attack. This is the fear of death from the state of one's body. A reaction to a reaction

For a person experiencing a panic attack, the feeling of an attack often seems long and continuous, although in reality everything is very individual. On average, the stress reaction lasts as long as the irritant, the source of stress, is present.

An acute stress reaction usually passes a short time after the stressful situation ends - for example, a person may be in a state of shock for about 20 minutes after the event. The duration of the reaction may increase in the presence of comorbid conditions - the simultaneous combination of several mental or psychological disorders, explains Udovenko.

Comorbidity is the combination of several psychiatric or psychological conditions at the same time. For example, if a person already had an anxiety disorder comorbidly, this reaction can be longer. Several hours, for example, I have heard that too. This is one story. But panic attacks, they do not necessarily depend on a specific irritant at the moment. They more often have a psychological basis

Panic attacks mostly occur due to thoughts that a person spins in their head, and less often - depend on external factors, says the specialist. To this phenomenon can be added the so-called anxious mood - a state that in Europe is often called panic with setting. It is close in nature to a stress reaction and manifests itself in an internal feeling of tension, anticipation of danger, and psychological discomfort.

This is when we start building catastrophe scenarios in our heads. And in this way, again, we enter a loop: everything will be bad, our blood pressure rises, all this reaction again, and we enter a circle again, but an anxiety attack is not accompanied by fear of death

During a panic attack, people are focused on their own sensations and reactions, while a stress reaction arises due to external stimuli and is often accompanied by an exaggerated, catastrophized perception of the consequences.

It is important to note that a stress reaction in itself is not something bad. In principle, excessive excitement can cause it in anyone. While panic attacks are something that is more often formed over a long period of time, based on strong anxiety, constant inability to influence the situation, inability to cope with one's feelings and emotions. That is, a panic attack is more about something accumulated earlier, which can then result in consequences

A panic attack usually lasts several minutes if it has a psychological basis and there are no additional complications, says the specialist. In some cases, more intense attacks can last up to 10 minutes.

We talk about panic disorder when such a reaction occurs daily, constantly, for several months. Then it's already a disorder, that's a separate story. Panic attacks can happen to everyone

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