Treating a Panic Disorder

Panic disorders are incapacitating conditions consisting of severe episodes of panic. They may occur with little or no warning and can last from just a couple of minutes to as long as a half hour or more. The fact that the sufferer may never know when these panic attacks might happen can prevent them from enjoying life. They end up avoiding activities or experiences that have triggered their prior panic attacks.

Women typically suffer from panic disorder and anxiety attacks more often than men, with the onset of the disorder frequently occurring in early adulthood. If left untreated, panic disorders can evolve into more serious conditions, such as agoraphobia.

Symptoms of Panic Disorder

Although everyone experiences a panic attack differently, some common symptoms of panic attacks include:

• Palpitating heart
• Shortness of breath
• Shaking or trembling
• Sweating and/or hot flashes
• Nausea
• Chest pain
• Tightening of the throat
• Dizziness
• Cramps
• Chills

Therapy and Education

Treating a panic disorder usually involves a blend of three modalities — education, psychotherapy and medication.

A patient opting for psychotherapy treatment generally has private sessions with a trained psychologist on a short-term basis — typically for no more than a dozen sessions. The first session usually focuses on teaching patients about their disorder, how to effectively cope with attacks and ways to prevent them from occurring.

By learning to identify the symptoms of a panic attack and the reasons behind them, patients can significantly shorten the length and severity of these attacks. When they first start feeling the beginnings of a panic attack, they can employ techniques, like progressive muscle relaxation and controlled breathing to keep the attack from escalating.

Therapists will also talk to the patient about the irrational fears they experience while they are having an attack. Often these are fears of humiliating and embarrassing themselves in public, fear of fainting, or even dying. Discussing their fears helps patients understand that the fears are not rational. This reduces the intensity level of the attack.

The therapist may also recommend that the patient increasingly expose him or herself to the situation or object that triggers their attacks. This allows them to gradually gain control over their fear.

Medication

The last modality in treating a panic disorder is medication. Because of the potential harmful side effects and risk of addiction, medication should be avoided whenever possible, and may not always be necessary.

As a last resort, however, in those cases where education and therapy are not effective, doctors may prescribe drugs. The most common medications are benzodiazepines (Xanax, Valium, and Klonopin) and SSRI anti-depressants (such as Zoloft, Prozac, and Paxil). Most doctors are reluctant to prescribe medication without accompanying psychotherapy, since the drugs only treat the symptoms, while psychotherapy addresses the root causes of the disorder.

Self Help Treatments

Certain self-help techniques can be used as well. You can try these without seeing a trained professional. Look for support groups that deal with panic disorders and that connect people with shared experiences and feelings in your community or online. Additionally, regular massage therapy or acupuncture can help reduce stress and decrease the number of panic attacks.

All of these treatments can be effective in reducing the frequency and intensity of panic attacks. The combination of psychotherapy, education, sharing common experiences with other sufferers and, when necessary, medication, can prevent panic attacks from interfering with your daily life.

The Seven Natural Techniques to Manage Anxiety

Constant anxiety and worry can make it hard to lead a normal life. Relationships and work become compromised and leave the sufferer feeling unhappy and hopeless. However, there is a way to keep the situation from spinning out of control. The following seven techniques can be used at the first signs of an anxiety attack, which can help you get your life back on track.

Exercise

When you feel anxious, muscles tense up, your heart races, and respiration increases in a “fight-or-flight” response. Exercise can be a terrific outlet for natural anxiety relief. It allows you to channel the extra energy in addition to clearing your mind. Exercise also causes our bodies to release pleasure hormones, further reducing stress and anxiety.

Breathing

This simple anxiety release method counters our body’s tendency to resort to rapid and shallow breaths when we’re in the throes of an anxiety attack. Concentrate on taking slow, deep breaths through the nose and then exhaling out of the mouth. This simple breathing technique can have a calming effect. Practice controlled breathing when you are not in the midst of an anxiety attack so you will be better prepared for the next one.

Bodywork

Treating yourself to a therapeutic massage, acupuncture, or a hot shower is more than an indulgence. It can work wonders in helping relieve the physical symptoms of anxiety. Hot showers and massages relax tense muscles. Acupuncture and acupressure can relieve numerous stress-related symptoms, including shortness of breath, upset stomach or heart palpitations.

Distraction

By occupying your mind with pleasurable or busy activities such as listening to music, doing a hobby, or even household chores, you can take your mind off the problem that’s causing your anxiety. Other activities you can try include reading a book, gardening, drawing or painting, playing a game, and cooking.

Thought Analysis

Anxiety usually derives from negative thinking, so turning negative thoughts into positive ones can naturally provide relief from one’s anxiety. Anxiety is most often created when we fear an anticipated event or a worst-case scenario, which will likely never happen.

When we write down the precise worry which causes our fear and articulate an action plan to stop it from happening, we can see it in a more realistic light. This helps give us a feeling of control and reduces the associated worry.

Live in the Now

If you think about it, living in the present is one way to keep thoughts firmly planted in reality. Most of our anxiety focuses on potential “what if” possibilities. When we actively participate in the here and now, the future takes a back seat, making it easier for us to stop worrying about the things that may happen down the road.

Seek Help

This doesn’t inevitably mean calling up a therapist to schedule an appointment (although that is certainly an option). Being able to talk to anyone, whether it’s a spouse, a trusted friend, or even a stranger, can help relieve anxiety. Human beings need to interact with each other and getting somebody else’s perspective on your troubles can give you a different outlook on the issue.

It’s also helpful when we can counsel someone else in need. Doing a good deed or passing it forward is another way to put our own problems in perspective. It’s also a wonderful way to generate positive thought patterns and lower our negative ones.

If your anxiety becomes more than just an occasional incident or if it starts to disrupt your everyday life, these seven natural anxiety relieving techniques are here to help. When these techniques stop working, it may be time to consider professional help or medical intervention with a trained psychologist or doctor.

Anxiety Attacks and How to Treat Them

Stress is normal, even useful. A common, human emotion, it can be helpful by motivating us to prepare for some of the following:

• Trying, important events
• Activities and meetings
• Upcoming tests
• Speeches or interviews

Stress can also heighten our senses and focus our attention in critical situations. It was designed to save our life since adrenaline produces the flight or fight response that helps us deal with emergencies. But too much stress that is always present or overwhelming can turn into anxiety. If stress interferes with your life rather than helping it, perhaps an anxiety disorder is to blame.

One feature of an anxiety disorder is the anxiety attack. These are episodes of excessive anxiety, also known as panic attacks, whose symptoms can include:

• A loss of control
• Feeling like you going crazy
• Shortness of breath
• Heart palpitations
• Upset stomach
• Trembling
• Hot flashes or chills

Specific triggers can set off an anxiety attack, such as a stressful environment or upsetting event, or the fear of something stressful about to happen. Or the attack can occur with no trigger or warning sign whatsoever. These episodes often last under a half-hour, peaking at 10 minutes or so. When they are in the midst of a panic attack, some people are afraid that they are about to die, especially since the symptoms of an anxiety attack are very similar to that of a heart attack. After having experienced an anxiety disorder, even just once, the fear of experiencing another one may prevent the sufferer from doing the things that person may have typically enjoyed.

Treatment

Treating an anxiety attack is a two-step process. Acute attacks must be treated as quickly as possible. When you start feeling the first signs of a panic attack, counter it with a fast-acting benzodiazepine tranquilizer to reduce the severity and duration of the attack. Yet there are side effects to benzodiazepine. These include drowsiness, queasiness, and loss of coordination. Side effects may worsen with higher doses. On rare occasions, anti-anxiety medications can have the opposite of their intended effect, and can even be dangerous. Instead of calming the user, they may cause mania, anger, and aggressiveness. Watch carefully for side effects when using such drugs.

Next, besides stopping an immediate episode, try to prevent attacks from happening in the future. The best way to accomplish this is through a combination of therapy and medication. Cognitive-behavioral therapy helps turn irrational and negative thoughts into positive, proactive ones. Exposure therapy is another common method. This therapy repeatedly and gradually exposes patients to higher levels of the anxiety triggering situation, until they learn to control their fears and are no longer overwhelmed and overcome by them.

Long-Term Medication

Occasionally, therapy by itself is not enough to prevent anxiety attacks, so long-term medication is sometimes recommended. Antidepressants and benzodiazepines are the anti-anxiety medications most commonly prescribed. These drugs, while effective, also have side effects, some of which can be severe. These drugs are also potentially addicting. It’s important to do your research and consult with your doctor about the risks versus the benefits before choosing any long-term medication as a treatment option. Also keep in mind that while drugs can help you control the symptoms of anxiety or panic attacks, it does not treat the root cause of the disorder the way therapy does.

So if anxiety attacks are making your life miserable, a blend of therapy and medication can help bring worry and panic down to a manageable level and prevent the anxiety from taking over your life. With proper treatment, many people suffering from anxiety and panic attacks can continue to live happy, fulfilling lives.

Common Anxieties and Their Symptoms

There are numerous types of anxiety disorders − all of which manifest themselves through different symptoms and can be triggered by multiple causes. This article outlines a few common types of anxieties and their symptoms.

Panic Attacks

Have you have ever found yourself getting ready for an interview, standing in front of an audience, or preparing to present a big speech? Then suddenly your heart is pounding; your palms are sweaty; chills are running down your spine; your knees are trembling; your face and ears are bright red; your mouth is dry, and your mind has drawn a complete blank. All this happens despite all your careful preparations. If this happens, then you are probably suffering from a panic attack.

PTSD

Traumatic events and emergencies cause anxiety as well; waiting outside a hospital emergency room or a delivery room can create symptoms of anxiety. People find themselves pacing restlessly, acting hyperactive, nervous, or tense and irritable. As the time spent waiting grows longer, they may also end up losing sleep or their appetite, and end up exhausted and fatigued.

Victims of a major life trauma, a serious accident, or other tragedy may exhibit these symptoms over a prolonged time, which could lead to serious psychological and physiological problems. They may suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD, symptoms which include: hallucinations, insomnia, nightmares, flashbacks and intense physical pain (such as chest pain), sweating, nausea, diarrhea, loss of appetite, fainting, frequent urination, or weakness. Emotionally, they may experience difficulty concentrating or focusing on work; they display radical mood swings, bursting into tears for no apparent reasons; experience emotional numbness, develop a phobia to certain places, people, or situations; or lose interest in activities they used to enjoy. They can feel lonely, even in a crowd. All these symptoms can lead to clinical depression.

Separation Anxiety

Children who suffer from separation anxiety throw tantrums, cry endlessly, refuse to go to sleep, refuse to go to school, or cling to their parents or care giver. Teenagers who suffer anxiety tend to be shy, overly irritable and argumentative with their parents, and may have a hard time concentrating on school work. They may suffer from physical symptoms such as headaches, upset stomach, trembling or tense muscles, or fatigue.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Another type of anxiety disorder is Obsessive Compulsive Disorder or OCD. OCD symptoms include a number of different categories:

• Washers (compulsively washes hands)
• Checkers (repeatedly checks to see if the doors are locked, or oven is off)
• Doubters (doubts if anything is ever done correctly or perfectly)
• Counters (obsessed with numbers, arrangements, colors)
• Hoarders (hoards useless things in the fear that something bad may happen if they throw it away)

Social Anxiety Disorders

People suffering from phobic or social anxiety disorders exclude other people from their lives or avoid social gatherings or certain objects, events, or places in order to avoid “triggers” — reminders that could cause their anxiety. These phobias cause them to become aloof and reclusive.

Women often experience symptoms of anxiety more often than men and are more likely to develop anxiety disorders. Some attribute this to their biological hormonal fluctuations, such as menstruation, pregnancy, childbirth, and menopause. Some women show physiological symptoms of anxiety such as shortness of breath, heart palpitations, dizziness, derealization, excessive worrying, headaches, sleep disorders, ennui, elevated blood pressure, fatigue, and mood swings.

While all undergo stressful periods in their lives, there are times when the stress and the symptoms they manifest can become overwhelming and debilitating. When this happens, don’t ignore the resulting anxiety; there are actions you can take to relieve both the symptoms and the causes of the stress. This website is here as a guide to help you through this process.