Üsküdar University Founding Rector Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan was a guest on Kanal 7's “Dr. Feridun Kunak’la Evlerinize Sağlık” program. Tarhan made evaluations regarding the topic of “Panic Attack.” Stating that panic attack is a defined disease with a correlate in the brain, Tarhan pointed out that panic disorder can occur at unexpected moments, even when everything is going well. Prof. Dr. Tarhan, offering suggestions to individuals experiencing panic attacks, stated that the disease might worsen in those who try to be their own doctors.
“Panic attack is a symptom of panic disorder”
Üsküdar University Founding Rector Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, stating that panic attack is a defined disease with a correlate in the brain, said: “Panic attack is a symptom of panic disorder. Panic disorder is a disease. It is a defined disease with a correlate found in the brain. The brain has a hypothalamus section. The hypothalamus section of the brain is the part that manages the autonomous nervous system. In other words, we have brain regions that say 'fight or flight' in times of danger. In times of danger, the brain secretes excessive stress hormones and acidic chemicals. When these chemicals are secreted, shoulder, neck, and back muscles contract. Heart rate increases. Pupils dilate. Blood circulation to the frontal region of the brain increases. Attention and focus increase. This happens due to the effect of these hormones. Hormones in the body are severely inflamed and triggered. The moment they are triggered, the body pumps all energy sources into the blood, pumps fats and sugar into the blood because a lot of energy is needed. In that position, if there is a fight, blood pressure rises, vascular resistance increases. In the flight position, blood pressure drops, and a person suddenly faints…” he stated.
It comes when everything is going well…
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, noting that panic disorder can occur at unexpected moments, even when everything is going well, said: “Patients with panic disorder say, ‘My psychological integrity is disturbed. I'm losing my mind, I feel like I'm going to die.’ This is the same feeling you experience when you suddenly lose control of the steering wheel in a car going 150 km or 200 km per hour. Patients with panic disorder experience that feeling. It's a very terrifying feeling. You lose control over your life, control over your psychology. Muscles and joints tense up, and when they tense up, there is pain. In panic disorder, one also experiences the feeling that psychological integrity is disturbed. They experience a feeling like ‘I'm losing my mind, I'm losing control, I'm going to fall, I'm going to faint, I'm going to die, I'm going to have a heart attack.’ The moment this feeling occurs, the body gives an excessive alarm. It gives a danger alarm. It gives a feeling as if something bad is going to happen. What's interesting is that normally, when a person is sad about something, their heart races, there's excitement. There's a concrete danger. At that moment, it's fight or flight, but in these individuals, it comes at an unexpected, unforeseen time, even when they are calm and everything is going well. It even comes to a person during sleep, known as nocturnal panic,” he stated.
The fear that the same thing will happen again…
Prof. Dr. Tarhan, also drawing attention to which individuals are more likely to experience panic attacks, said: “These individuals are people who attach great importance to their physical health. They are excessively meticulous, overly anxious about health, and have high health anxiety. There is a panic, agoraphobia scale, and the most important thing we look at there is whether the person has health anxiety. The presence of excessive anxieties related to the illness. In addition, these individuals have various feelings of losing control. And there is anticipatory anxiety. That is, they experience that feeling, that terror, once, and then this time, with the fear that the same thing will happen again, anticipatory anxiety occurs. There is anticipatory apprehension. If this feeling occurred on a plane, they start to be unable to board a plane. If it happened in an enclosed space, they start to be unable to enter an enclosed space. If it happened on the street, they start to be unable to go out. They cannot enter a tunnel by car,” he said.
Modernism triggers it!
Tarhan, stating that panic disorder has increased with the influence of modernism, said: “We define these individuals as people who have made narcissistic investments in their bodies. In this era, the number of people investing heavily in their bodies has increased. That is why panic disorder has increased in this era. This is a disease triggered by modernism. Humans have a feeling of immortality. Everyone has it. It is a universal feeling. Just as the existence of hunger in our stomach is certain and there is a causal link between it and the existence of food, similarly, our human desire for immortality, the wish for eternity, is closely related to the expectation of a life after death. In fact, this is also proof of the existence of life after death. If this feeling exists, the creator of man has also provided its counterpart,” he stated.
People experiencing panic attacks are controlled by their fears…
Prof. Dr. Tarhan, offering suggestions to individuals experiencing panic attacks, stated that the disease might worsen in those who try to be their own doctors. Tarhan said; “People experiencing panic attacks are controlled by their fears. There are excessive fears related to health. There are unfounded fears. There are irrational fears. Under the influence of these fears, they engage in an internal struggle. These individuals should pay attention to their sleep and diet. There is no need for them to cut ties with their doctor. Of course, they will receive treatment; they cannot just sit and be their own doctors. If they try to be their own doctors, the disease will worsen even more. It will get much worse. Because this disease is not in their hands. That is, when we obtain brain imaging and brain mapping, we find areas in the brain that are working under stress. We show the cause of the disease. A region of the brain functions differently, erroneously, from the rest of the brain. It produces excessive alarms. The disease appears as a result of this. Therefore, we say, leave its treatment to medicine. You continue your daily routine. Panic attack is one of the disease groups in which we are most successful in treatment,” he stated.