QUESTION:
Dear Dr. Heller,
I'm from Chile, South America, and I had my first panic attack at 9 years old. I'm 28 years old now. When I had my first panic attack I felt that time stopped. I felt like I was going to die and reality was "away". I had some other attacks during adolescence and later in my life some others in certain situations involving stress, like classes at school and the university, for example. I am a private pilot and had one attack while flying. I remember when I was landing , alone in a Cessna, it was the first time I began to control and "study" the situation while trying not to been scared. Maybe the idea of having a panic attack in a plane was "unacceptable" to me so I had to take the control, with no other option. Since then, when I have the symptoms of a panic attack coming, I take this "observational" attitude, and in 5 minutes I'm ok again.
I like to make music. I'm very sensitive. Also, sometimes I feel I can cope with anything.
I have been thinking about the nights. I often bite my teeth (I don t know how to
translate this), I mean I bruxate (I don't know some translations, sorry), but the
most important thing, I wake up at nights and feel that my head is exploding, sometimes I
think that I have some minimal epilepsia episode, I stop at a place between asleep and
awake, I can watch the lamp in the table for example, but I can't move. But I'm worried
about this "electricity" I feel in my head at nights, when I'm supposed to be
resting.
Well , that's my concern, this strange feeling in my head. It is bad? Should I visit
a psychiatrist again? Or is it normal in someone that has panic attacks or has been
dealing with it? Is this head "voltage" killing my brain?
Thank you very much.
ANSWER:
It sounds like muscle spasm, which is commonly triggered by anger or anxiety. I suspect
your panic is a separate problem, although panic can be triggered by other problems.
The
screening test I use for my patients may be of use
to you trying to determine what other diagnoses may be present. Certainly seeing your
psychiatrist again is a very reasonable option.
