Panic seems to be so debilitating in situations like this as stress severely diminishes to ability to think.
Is it worth considering making certain fast acting drugs available to professionals that operate in life-threatening environments that would stop or minimize the stress response?
I'm not sure if such a drug exists, one that might reduce stress but not also impair other cognitive functions. But it might well be extremely useful. I can't think of any situations where the stress response is useful in a complex environment.
Well, there are things like beta-blockers (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beta_blocker), but the thing about emergencies is that they're fast enough that there's not time to pop some pills, much less wait for them to be digested & metabolized & take effect. The whole OP covers, what, 15 minutes it said? The only way beta-blockers might help is if one took them in advance, and they're not perfect side-effect-wise.
Interesting. Things like cocaine (I'm led to believe) act very quickly. I was even thinking that the placebo effect could be leveraged somehow. Perhaps popping a pill that resides in your top pocket could be a first response whenever a situation starts getting a little hairy.
I honestly think it's worth investigating. Why put up with having your stress response decimate your cognitive abilities, especially when you need them most?
Is it worth considering making certain fast acting drugs available to professionals that operate in life-threatening environments that would stop or minimize the stress response?
I'm not sure if such a drug exists, one that might reduce stress but not also impair other cognitive functions. But it might well be extremely useful. I can't think of any situations where the stress response is useful in a complex environment.