Things to Avoid When Helping with a Panic Attack

Video Transcript

Hi, this is Ben Brennan from Austin, Texas, I'm coming to you on behalf of Expert Village and today we're going to be talking about panic attacks. Okay now let's talk about what not to do when someone you know is experiencing a panic attack. One thing you do not want to do to comfort a person during panic attack is to try to teach them a new technique that you think will help. This is a great thing to help during the more calm time during the day but during a panic attack it is very unlikely that the person is going to be able to learn a new skill. If you watched the video on breathing, you learned that it could take weeks to breathe properly. You can help them by a technique like breathing if they are already trying this themselves, that's fine. But don't try to teach any new complex maneuvers. A second thing not to do when a person is experiencing a panic attack is to panic yourself. If your friend was having a asthma attack, would you light up a big cigar and throw smoke in her face to make is worst? In the same way the worst way to help someone who is having a panic attack is to go into panic mode yourself. They are trying not to panic and what they need from you is a calm place to relax their nerves. This definitely includes not calling more attention to your friend by informing everyone in the room that this person is having an attack and needs their help. One or two friends by your side is comforting for most people. Twenty people crowded around you during a panic attack is a nightmare. A third thing that it is important not to do is ignore the fact that they are experiencing a panic attack. Sometimes loved ones will do this for any number of well meaning reasons but panic attacks can make an individual feel very isolated, embarrassed and terrified. Ignoring your friend, reinforces the idea is that they are an embarrassment, or that no one knows what they are going through, which are frightening when accompanied by the physical symptoms of panic attacks. So to review; teaching a new technique to someone, panicking yourself, or ignoring that panic attack going on, are three things that you definitely do not want to do to help someone during a panic attack.

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