John at Just Some Poor Schmuck, an Emergency Services Coordinator (aka: 911 Dispatcher) hits the nail on the head.
“Panic Attacks” are something that seems to have developed since I was a kid. When I was growing up no one had “panic attacks”. They somehow had ‘nervous breakdowns” but never “panic attacks”. Even then they were few and far. I never knew anyone who had one, or even anyone that knew someone that had one. They were things of fable and myth that usually affected people in a far higher income bracket that ours.
But that’s all changed. Having a “panic attack” or a “nervous breakdown” is not seen as a problem. It’s an “illness” and no cause for concern. It’s not your fault, nothing is today. You can pick up the phone and call 911 and someone will rush to your side to take your BP, slow your respirations and calm you.
It’s the last paragraph that really swings the hammer. Go read.
That last paragraph is spot on. I’ve mentioned before that many of the people I work with and for grew up in India, and they’ve told me about the millions of kids enslaved to work as beggars, who are deliberately crippled so as to bring in more money. Mentioning “poverty in America” around them brings a derisive laugh or wry grin. To them, there ain’t no such thing.