You wake up. Your palms are sweaty. You jump out of bed, but you feel dizzy and have trouble breathing. You feel boxed in and hot even though it’s only 30 degrees outside. You are afraid to go to class and give your speech on the pros and cons of going to war with Iraq.
You have just experienced a panic attack.
Panic attacks plague 1.7 percent of the population or twenty-four million Americans each year. Unfortunately, Fairfield University is not an exception to this statistic.
“I don’t really have a great number of students emerging with panic disorder right now, but it is something that we do see a significant amount of,” said Susan Birge, assistant vice president of Student Services. “This particular stress period is not necessarily correlated with higher numbers.”
Jeanne DiMuzio, director of wellness and prevention, says that it is the “dead grandmother syndrome.” Students will fake a death in order to get out of an important exam.
“A professor of mine would flunk you on the spot if you faked a death,” said DiMuzio. “Another that I heard of used to offer the parents his condolences and then would help the students to work through their exam anxiety.”
DiMuzio says that through her work and observation of students, there is one question that needs to be asked: “Have there been periods of anxiety, depression or suicide in the students’ past, and if so, have those periods been elevated during their career at Fairfield University?”
One Fairfield student, who wished to remain anonymous, describes her experience.
“You start to get overwhelmed with emotions. Your body temperature starts to rise and you sweat a lot. Then your heart begins to race. As it starts to race you begin to hyperventilate and begin to shake. You just can’t calm yourself down.
“It starts to feel like you are going to black out. It’s hard to work out of it on your own. I almost passed out in the shower. I couldn’t even get dressed. I needed my friend’s help.”
Dr. Yelitza Seoane, psychiatrist at North Shore Hospital in Manhasset, New York, says that anxiety levels increase at the end of the school year with the onslaught of exams. While there are different kinds of attacks, panic attacks occur in the context of anxiety disorders.
“Some kids may have singular episodes or outbreaks and others may have them on a regular basis,” said Seoane. “If you have one once in a blue moon, this is not an anxiety disorder. The intensity and frequency does not cause enough impairment to cause an anxiety disorder.”
Panic attacks strike usually strike young adults under the age of twenty-four and are twice as common in women than in men. They are characterized by unexpected and repeated episodes of intense fear. Panic attacks are accompanied by physical symptoms that may include chest pain, heart palpitations, and shortness of breath, dizziness, or abdominal distress.
According to DiMuzio, panic anxiety can be short term. It can occur before an upcoming test, when meeting new people, or in a new situation, such as an internship or a speech.
“Usually, a person looks for an escape or a way of hiding and avoiding the upcoming event,” said DiMuzio. “Most people will create a reason not to get to that end event.” Panic attacks most often occur when reaching the end of a long-term goal.
The American Psychiatric Association makes the distinction between panic attacks and panic disorders. While 15 percent of all Americans will experience a panic attack at some point during their lives, a panic disorder is when these panic attacks recur unexpectedly and psychological distress is experienced as a result.
People will either outgrow the attacks, be medicated, counseled, or they will confront their anxieties. According to DiMuzio, “many students can be medicated with Zoloft, Prozac, or Valium to help settle their brain’s chemistry.”
For more information or to make an appointment with a counselor, call the Health Center at extension 2241.
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