驚恐發(fā)作( panic attacks),亦稱為急性焦慮發(fā)作?;颊咄蝗话l(fā)生強烈不適,可有胸悶、氣透不過來的感覺、心悸、出汗、胃不適、顫抖、手足發(fā)麻、瀕死感、要發(fā)瘋感或失去控制感,每次發(fā)作約一刻鐘左右。發(fā)作可無明顯原因或無特殊情境。還有一些人在某些特殊情境如擁擠人群、商店、公共車輛中發(fā)作。后者稱為廣場恐怖癥伴發(fā)驚恐發(fā)作(agoraphobia with panic attacks)。
It’s an ordinary day. You may be entirely relaxed, settling down to watch some TV.
Suddenly you begin to feel scared. Everything around you is becoming unreal. Your heart is racing, your head spinning, your hands tingling. An overwhelming sense of despair and anguish hits you like a wave. What on earth is going on?
If you have had an experience like this, it’s possible you were having a “panic attack.” Some people experience panic attacks in tense situations, such as before giving a speech. For others it comes completely (1)out of the blue. But panic attack is a very real condition, and not at all the same thing as just “getting flustered.” What causes it?
Panic attack begins in the oldest parts of our brain. Before we had evolved rational thought, we still needed to be able to survive in the world. The ability to either fight or flee from a dangerous situation is perhaps the most basic behavior required of any animal.
Panic attacks occur when the bodily systems responsible for dealing with dangerous situations (2)kick in at the wrong time. There is no danger in relaxing on your couch, and no real danger in giving a speech. But in some people, the “fight or flight” responses can be triggered accidentally. Heart rate increases, breathing becomes shallow, adrenaline shoots to your arms. These are useful responses to have, if you really are in danger. For people with panic attack, though, they can be both confusing and terrifying.
Several different therapies now exist for panic attack, from anti-anxiety medications to behavior modification. So take heart –there’s no need to panic.
譯文:
這是平常的一天。你放松身心,專心地看著電視。
突然你感到恐懼。身邊的所有事物都變得不真實。你的心跳加速,天旋地轉(zhuǎn),手臂發(fā)麻。一種歇斯底里的絕望和痛苦像海浪一樣侵襲著你。這到底是怎么回事?
如果你有類似的經(jīng)歷,很可能你患有“驚恐發(fā)作”癥。一些人在緊張的情況下會經(jīng)歷驚恐發(fā)作,例如在演講之前。有些則會在完全意外的情況下經(jīng)歷。但是驚恐發(fā)作是一種真實存在的健康問題,與所說的心慌完全不同。那么這是什么引起的呢?
驚恐發(fā)作始于我們大腦里最古老的部分。在我們形成理性思維之前,我們?nèi)匀恍枰谠谑澜缟仙?。?zhàn)斗和逃離危險或許是人和動物都必備的最基本的能力。當(dāng)身體系統(tǒng)對在不適當(dāng)?shù)臅r間里發(fā)生的危險情況作出反應(yīng)時就會產(chǎn)生驚恐發(fā)作。在沙發(fā)上休息并不危險,演講也并不是真的危險。但是對于一些人來說,會意外地觸發(fā)他們“戰(zhàn)斗還是逃走”的心理反應(yīng)。心跳加速,呼吸困難,腎上腺素直沖手臂。如果你真的處于危險情況之下,這些都是很有利的反應(yīng)。然而對于有驚恐發(fā)作的人來說,他們會感到混亂和恐懼。
針對驚恐發(fā)作,有好幾種不同的治療方法。從抗焦慮藥到行為矯正。所以,鼓起勇氣-沒必要恐慌。
Notes:
(1)out of the blue突然地;意外地
There are so many things out of the blue in our life.
生活就是有那么多的出乎意料。
(2)kick in踢開;支付;開始生效;腿打水游進(jìn);死亡
As mentioned earlier, telepathy is most likely to kick in under circumstances of emergency.
正如前面提到的,心靈感應(yīng)很可能要在危急關(guān)頭才會出現(xiàn)。