Psychogenic blackouts

Dr Nick Gall, consultant cardiologist at King's College Hospital, London, describes psychogenic blackouts - what they are, what causes them and issues surrounding diagnosis.

[derekjohnson]

I was diagnosed with PTSD two years ago aged 41 due experiencing a very traumatic event aged 15. I was attacked by a man with a knife whilst I was walking home. My face was slashed twice, if i didn't duck my chin on the second blow my throat would have been cut and i would have been killed. Sadly before they stitched me up, i looked in the mirror and seen my face hanging apart. I blacked out and have no memory of my face being stitched. Sadly I wasn't given any follow upcare. I started to suffer blackout periods of violence when playing with friends and family. If someone caught my face where my scars were. I would have a panic attack, then flashback about being slashed and seeing my face hanging apart. I would wake up and i would be on top of a friend or family member, punching or strangling them, it would feel like a dream, then i would realise what was happening. I would get a fright and burst into tears and run home. I would have no memory at times that I've blacked out and been violent until someone would tell me. It was terrifying as i am not a violent person, I'm a whimp. Some times i can be triggered and flashback and i faint. They said i suffer from extreme dissociation. Is physcogenic blackouts the same as dissociation??

[aleahcollins]

Finally someone who understands what my blackouts are like!😌

[evera_]

I think this is what happened to me this week for the first time. I was on the highway, it was raining, I was having bad thoughts of all the extremely stressful situations in my life, when I had to make a very simple decision on the highway. Even though my GPS was clearly showing me to take the exit and it was not the first time I drove there, I couldn't process what to do! I could clearly see the arrow showing me to turn, my brain just kind of froze and I didn't know what to do. There were cars behind me and it was stressing me out. There was a truck on the side of the highway and I couldn't understand what it was doing there, it was blinking and for some reason I couldn't process the information. I panicked but like in slow motion. So I began to slow down like for a red light or a stop sign but there was none! So people behind me started to honk at me very intensely and not understanding what was happening, I pulled on the side and stopped the car. Then realized there was no stop to do at all and I just couldn't make the SIMPLE decision to take the exit. I took some time to pray and relax and feeling okay again I started the car and drove again and I made sure to stop at the first coffee place, get out, walk a bit, get a coffee and a snack, because I still had an hour to drive. Scary! I don't have anxiety attacks but I realized last year that I was psychologically abused by my mom my whole life. I feel very weak and vulnerable, depressed and kind of numb most of the time. I'm in therapy...

[dhimanroy]

It's totally anxiety! Sometimes during hot weather or unpleasant situation the anxiety of previous blackout may boost it to happen ...
I think the best treatment is just reject anxiety and be free and attain chilling mood.

[holypicklesmofo]

Could these blackouts be caused by an anxiety disorder? I have severe social anxiety, but I'm also a musician and went to school for the performing arts. Before I was able to gain more control over my anxiety, I would become lightheaded, vomit, or faint. I also suffered a few instances of blacking out for very short pieces of time. First thing I know I'm waiting backstage to go on, next thing I know I'm walking back offstage and the audience is clapping. There will be a video recording of my performance and I will seem completely lucid in the video, yet I will have zero recollection of it, almost as if I were sleepwalking or unconscious.

[kingdomreturn]

Very useful information amd interedsting as I suffer from, dizxiness blackouts, lack of functioning thankyku for this video

[axecx]

I blackout randomly and forget where i am its happend a few times its scary

[radhikapatel]

My seizures had stopped when I had two syncope attack happening at stoke hospital and at home because I had an fear of blood into general hospital confirmed that I DONT HAVE MENTAL HEALTH AT ALL.

[junaidzed]

I had this one time. I was returning to home from my workplace and I was too much stressed due to something inappropriate happening at my workplace. I was riding my motorcycle and I really don't remember how I reached to highway and smashed my motorcycle on road divider or something. When some local guys took me to the nearby medical facility there I became concious and asked them, "what happened to me?" They said, "you had an accident." I thank God that nothing much severe happened with me. I could even die in that road accident.

So guys, , , , moral of the story is never take too much Just take a chill pill.

[Sam-gfeb]

I'm suprised this is the only video that talks about them (except the repost of this video).

[TheNativeEngine]

I might have this or something that resembles this. I need to move into the city. It's terribly hard to travel from the countryside. For proper treatment.

[riyarose]

I do not think I have anxiety disorder or severe stress but recently I've been blacking out 3 to 4 times a day. The doctor said that it's because of anemia but the type of blackouts I get are similar to psychogenic blackout. I lose balance, my legs bend and cannot support me for seconds, my eyes get shut and I sometimes get from point A to point B while losing balance. The first time I had it I somehow ended up 1 meter or 2 away from where I was standing.

[jonroberts]

Never in my life have I ever Had A syncope episode or you in a blackout or what you would call a faint I tell you now it was not a faint it was not syncope. About a month ago my blackout occurred, prior to happening I was up pretty much all day about 10:30 in the morning I was up 7/8 hours before it occurred, and I was driving resulting in a crash into a fixed object. There was no warnings no aura just sudden blackness, like I was unplugged then waking up in the back of an ambulance confused and unaware of anything said or done no memory and as a result of the accident I also suffered a head injury which I feel made it even worse, I never experienced any such things until a month ago. And I don't think it would be psychogenic blackout, my family had asked me about even PTSD but I can't recall any episodes in my military career that would have diagnose me with PTSD. this just happen all of a sudden out of the blue no warnings something turned off the switch and something turned it back on while in the ambulance. According to my mother she said it seems I was somewhat responsive but I can't recall those she said I wasn't fully aware of things and it was about 15 minutes. I didn't look blue I didn't look clammy and I was still breathing just wasn't all there mentally and could not recall anything visually what was said to me or what I said to others no memory not even memory of driving. Telling the EMT I should be still in my front yard, but I wasn't I didn't know I was even in an accident, the EMT have to tell me I was total loss of awareness it was to me

[nancymukami]

My brain goes off, I forget everything and I can't comprehend it goes for hours at most two, after the two hours I recall that I wasn't myself something was wrong somewhere

[alexandradescant]

I only do this when I’m laying down... never whole standing up. I have ptsd from verbal/physical and sexual abuse as a child (actually diagnosed). It’s happened around four times in my life. It happened right after I had a panic attack last week right before I tried going to sleep. I always wake up at around 5-6:30am, every since I was younger it’s always been around the same time. Every time I “wake up from it” it feels like my eyes have been open the entire time. I’m usually very delusional when I wake up in the morning. But I never “wake up” groggy from a blackout. It feels like I’ve just been lying there w/ my eyes open and brain on autopilot for hours. Really scared the shit out of me. Idk what to do. I feel very... lost. I don’t have health insurance anymore bc I’m not in school atm and they kicked me off and there’s no exceptions for COVID. Suicidal thoughts are coming back.

[Hardwrkpayzoff]

i have these horrible short blackouts when i think of doing something i black out if i get nervous while doing it i might have a short blackout and forget what happened in the last 10 mins untill i figure it out its like a short system reset and i hate it

[Ellabella]

This happened to me Saturday I was away for the weekend I have severe health and I also have a tooth abscess was down for breakfast and told my boyfriend I'm going to pass out im going up to the room i made it as far as outside the lift and all I remember is saying to the housekeepers is call an ambulance I'm having a stroke because my vision went black and I remember I was sweating and my ankles where about to give up and next thing i remember was being ón the floor they had me in the recovery position i couldn't get up for 15 minutes as my legs were so weak the ambulance checked me over everything was normal they said its a combination of the heat my tooth abscess and my anxiety my ecg was normal so i was so embarrassed but I'm terrified of it happening again I really thought I was having a stroke it was a horrible experience

[j.elliottgray]

This is caused by POTS, sometimes induced by trauma. It is a natural defense mechanism for survival in some cases.... but a symptom of adrenal fatigue, blood pressure drops.
SNRI helps some.

[techontheside]

Does a mini blackout almost feel like you have closed your eyes for a split second but obviously your not closing your eyes your brain shuts off because that’s what keeps happening with me, 3 times yesterday about 4 in a row just before writing this in the space of 2 mins. Now it could just be this weeds fire or my body is under a lot of stress which there are many things I could list that is causing me stress but isn’t everybody stressed? Idk.

[Cherokee_Rain]

I have them everyday. But nobody can seem to agree on what it is, what causes it. They happen just sitting watching tv or in bed. Mostly though I do it on my stairs. 🙁