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Experts offer help for frazzled fans
High blood pressure, increased heart rate, breathlessness and palpitations are symptoms of the typical emotional rollercoaster experienced by most fans at Euro 2004. For some supporters, however, the thrill of the game can pose a health risk should the passion and fervour develop into anxiety, panic and even heart attacks. For one Greek fan, the anticipation of the quarter-final against champions France on Friday was too much to bear. Having travelled from his home country for this one match, he missed all but the opening minutes after succumbing to a panic attack. "I feel ready to collapse. My legs feel numb, I have butterflies in my stomach and my head is not clear," he said, visibly shaken. The fan had made his way to a tented medical camp set up by the National Institute for Emergency Medicine (INEM), where Euro 2004 organizers have integrated two psychologists into the medical team. Sylvia Hyam, a counselling psychologist on duty at Alvalade stadium, sat the fan down, chatted to him and went through breathing and relaxation techniques. "This man was worried something was quite wrong - he knew he had high blood pressure and he thought he was having a heart attack," she said. "In this case, it's nothing serious but we need to speak to the doctor just in case." Hyam, who also soothes scared children and calms down potentially aggressive drunks, says this type of anxiety attack has been common during the tournament. The euphoria of a goal, the nervous despair of being a goal down and the sheer trauma of a penalty shootout play havoc with supporters' emotions. If you add in the hot weather and cheap alcohol, there is a potentially dangerous combination. "The emotion, the uncertainty of the result, and also so many people together in one small space can often lead to anxiety," said Nelson Perreira, director of medical services at the Greece v France quarter-final. "We have lots of people who need special intervention because of anxiety, feelings of crisis or vertigo," he added. Two psychologists The 110-strong team includes doctors, nurses, emergency medical technicians and logisticians as well as a cardiologist and the two psychologists. Often, the stress for supporters starts before the game as they pack like sardines on to public transport. Hyam had her first case of the day well before kickoff after a man heading for the match became claustrophobic on a train. After measuring his heart rate and blood pressure, which were both well above normal limits, the doctors settled him on a stretcher and Hyam was called to offer comfort. "We try to ally the emotional treatment with the medical treatment so we can stabilize the patients more promptly," she says. "I've talked to him a little bit, we've done some breathing exercises together and his blood pressure has dropped right down." Unacceptably high Unfortunately for the patient, his heart rate was still unacceptably high. As he lay back, clutching his ticket, he received updates on the game on his mobile phone and was hoping to make the second half. Unlike the previous evening's quarter-final, when Portugal knocked England out in a nail-biting penalty shootout, Friday's game was relatively quiet for the medical team. Helping a woman who fainted to recover and soothing the frayed nerves of an asthmatic French fan embroiled in a heated discussion with a Greek were the only other minor incidents. The shock of the panic attack often perpetuates the feeling of stress and the Greek fan was so unnerved, he decided to give up on the game and return to his hotel. As he stood up to leave, however, there was an almighty roar from the stadium as unfancied Greece scored a shock goal against the French, raising his heart rate and blood pressure again, though this time for all the right reasons. |
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