'I was now afraid of my own shadow'

The question of what exactly happens in your brain during an anxiety attack can’t be answered fully yet, but scientists are beginning to put together a compelling picture of the brain under this particular kind of stress, in the hope that it can help people undergoing anxiety attacks in the future.

All of us are born with the instinctive ‘fight or flight’ response that help us escape threats. When we are afraid, concerned or stressed, the part of our brain responsible for the fight or flight response will generate the nervous, fearful sensation we call anxiety.

However, anxiety attacks are episodes of intense fear or apprehension. When people feel stressed, their sympathetic nervous system typically revs up, releasing energy and preparing the body for action.

Then the parasympathetic nervous system steps in, and the body stabilizes to a calmer state. If the parasympathetic nervous system is somehow unable to do its job, a person will remain fired up and may experience the heightened arousal characteristic of an anxiety attack.

Recently researchers have identified certain regions of the brain that become hyperactive during an anxiety attack. These regions include the amygdala, which is the fear center of the brain, and parts of the midbrain that control a range of functions, including our experience of pain. 

A study performed by scientists at the Wellcome Trust Center for Neuroimaging at University College London used functional MRI to locate which specific brain regions kick in when a person senses an imminent threat. They found activity in an area of the midbrain called the periaqueductal gray, a region that provokes the body’s defensive responses, such as freezing or running.

By identifying brain regions involved in anxiety attacks, such studies can improve our understanding of anxiety-related disorders.

TESTIMONIAL

I was now afraid of my own shadow. Everything around me seemed abnormal. Every second of every passing minute, I wondered if the anxiety attack would happen again. I laid in a cocoon in bed, refusing to get up, least I encountered that horrible experience. Left with my own thoughts, my mind galloped away; trying to find an explanation for what had happened.

The medication had made me sleep, but certainly did not ease the tension in my head, and the headache I now experienced. I am a relatively private person and it really pained me that I would have to open up myself, at least to those persons in my small circle.

I questioned whether they would think less of me; would I still fit in among my peers and would I be able to function effectively at work. At the end of the day, anxiety disorders are classified among mental disorders…was I crazy?  In Jamaica being diagnosed with a mental illness or disorder you are instantly placed into a box, stigmatised and stand to lose basically everything you had ever worked for. It wasn’t like the flu that they could understand!

Once you presented a mental situation, you are classified as mad, crazy, dysfunctional and a list of other adjectives that cannot be written in this forum.  As a result of the stigma associated with the illness, many persons suffer in silence.

There were so many unanswered questions as my thoughts continued to play ring games in my head.

Like a leaf recovering from the onslaught of a hurricane, I got out of bed, and gingerly made my way to the bathroom. It was the slowest walk in my entire life. I held unto the bed post and then the wall; while the thought chimed away in my head; please do not let this happen to me again.

I was famished! At this point I realised I hadn’t eaten in literally two days. Slowly, I made my way to the kitchen, and as I stood over the sink, I looked out at the back yard, and the tears flowed freely again.

Certainly, not wanting a repeat of the day before, I quickly prepared something for us to eat, and returned hastily to the confines of my bedroom. A quick mental note told me this was not going to be an easy recovery.

A week had passed and during that time, I informed my close family members and friends of my ordeal. The negative responses I had expected were erased, and the support and empathy I received from them was overwhelming and appreciated.  Throughout the days, they checked on me quite often, and I did not go to bed without a supportive voice, especially from one of my aunts.

I had started to feel a bit better, and the wobbly feeling in my head had started to subside. I was sleeping and I was able to get up and get my son ready for school. Thankfully, my co-workers who were also my neighbours, took him to school, and his very supportive school family helped me with him coming home each day.

I was still having symptoms from the anxiety attack; headache, light-headiness and dizziness and this made it extremely difficult to drive. Nevertheless, I was looking forward to returning to work, and I almost felt like my normal self.

However, by the second week this was not to be and like a curse straight from the pit of hell, everything went back to ground zero! This couldn’t get any worse.

WHAT HAPPENS IN THE BRAIN DURING AN ANXIETY ATTACK?

Panic attacks are episodes of extreme fear often happen without warning. Scientists think, but are not sure, that parts of the brain that are tied to fear become more active during a panic attack. One study found that people with panic disorder had lots of activity in a part of their brains tied to the ‘fight or flight’ response.

Other studies have found possible links between panic disorder and the chemicals in your brain. The condition may also be linked to an imbalance in serotonin levels, which can affect your moods.

IS ANXIETY ALL IN YOUR HEAD?

Anxiety affects different people differently. It also can have a lot of different causes. What’s important is not where it originates but what you are going to do to stop it.

Anxiety is a psychological problem. So, if the question is whether or not anxiety is ‘in your head,’ the answer isn’t necessarily a ‘no.’ Most of the symptoms of anxiety do originate in your brain.

But claiming that anxiety is all in your head is a massive oversimplification, and ignores many of the realities of anxiety that most people fail to understand.

IS THERE A CHEMICAL IMBALANCE THAT CAUSES ANXIETY?

A chemical imbalance in the brain is said to occur when there’s either too much or too little of certain chemicals, called neurotransmitters, in the brain. … It’s often said that mental health conditions, such as depression and anxiety, are caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. (SOURCE: WebMD Medical Reference)

Keisha A. Hill is media practitioner and communications consultant. Send feedback to kanhillcommunications@gmail.com or editorial@oldharbournews.com. Visit Jamaican Chronicles to read more blogs by the author.