Finding Panic Attacks Help That Works For You
Posted: Thursday, November 12, 2009
by bowechaim
Many treatment options are available for people who suffer from panic attacks. Some seek to identify and fix the root cause-which could be a chemical imbalance in the brain, another medical condition that includes panic attacks among its symptoms, or just environmental and life stresses, to name only some of the possibilities. Other treatments emphasize controlling the symptoms, aiming to intervene at onset and during an attack to halt it or minimize its impact. What ever the reason may be panic attacks help is available for those who suffer from this condition.
For most people, though, the first step in treatment should be educational. Wherever the information comes from-books, online sources, a doctor or counselor, support groups or just conversation with friends or family-it's important for people who are experiencing panic attacks to learn to recognize what's happening to them. They are not dying. They are not alone. They can be helped. A panic attack is a bewildering and disorienting experience, which feeds on fear. Simply knowing what is happening and what to expect can defuse some of that fear and lessen the severity of an episode.
It's not uncommon for people to self-diagnose panic attacks-the name is pretty self-explanatory after all. But particularly if the condition is frequent, long-lasting, and debilitating, it is wise to get a professional medical evaluation and advice on where to go from there. Panic attacks can be signs of other illnesses that need treatment. And for some people, particularly those with very severe attacks, medically prescribed drug treatment may be the best place to begin.
Patients are often started out on anti-anxiety drugs, which function fairly quickly to tranquilize and calm the systems that get overloaded by the panic reaction. Over the longer term, anti-depressants have fewer side effects and are preferred because they address the neurotransmitter balance in the brain that is thought to lie at the basis of many mental disorders, including anxiety and panic attacks, not just depression. Beta-blockers are sometimes prescribed to control very specific symptoms, such as irregular heartbeat or palpitations.
Some form of therapy is usually recommended as a complement to and eventual replacement for medication. But it can be the first choice for people who are not too overwhelmed to benefit from methods that require them to be able to learn and actively practice certain techniques.
Therapeutic approaches take many forms: cognitive, behavioral, cognitive-behavioral, relaxation therapy, biofeedback, exposure therapy, psychotherapy, and respiratory training have all been used alone and in combination with varying degrees of success.
Some of the techniques these therapies teach-such as breathing control, thought-control conditioning, desensitization and exposure therapy-can also be attempted as part of a "self-help" approach to treatment. Many are doubtless best learned with professional help initially, but then will require continual self-directed practice.
The self-help approach is probably most effective for people experiencing "limited symptom attacks." In some cases these milder cases of panic attack can be helped significantly by adopting some relatively simple lifestyle changes-reducing caffeine and stimulants, getting more exercise, staying away from high-sugar foods, avoiding particularly stressful situations.
A number of intriguing alternative therapies have been suggested as well. Acupuncture, supplemental vitamins and minerals, herbal alternatives like St. Johns Wort, Kava Kava and Valerian have been claimed to relieve some of the symptoms of panic or anxiety attacks, though these claims have not been scientifically evaluated in most cases
Which of these many treatment options will work best for any individual can probably be determined only through trial and error. For many people, a combination or sequence of approaches may offer the most complete relief.
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Chaim Packer is passionate about helping others with this debilitating condition. For more great information on panic attacks help, visit http://www.alleviatepanicattacks.com.
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