Panic attack is a period of intensive fear that is often abrupt and is often a sign of mental and emotional distress.
In some individuals they appear without apparent cause and most often the distressed individual reports loosing control of oneself. Often they are provoked or triggered by a sense of trying to escape from someone or from the place where the attack started. Although in normal cases, the individual when subjected to a stimulus often resorts to a fight syndrome as a form of protection, in panic attacks, the individual employs the flight syndrome. Often episodes of panic attack come with chest pain and shortness of breath with a tunnel vision even after seeking medical advice or attention.
Panic attack is different from other anxiety disorders because of its sudden intensity and its occurrence in individuals. Often panic attacks are psychological conditions but may not be a sign of a mental disorder. At least in normal individuals, a panic attack may occur in a year particularly in persons with anxiety and phobias. As a result of a triggering factor, they are often short-lived and will subside once the triggering factor is eliminated. In some individuals exposed to a panic attack, one attack may trigger another leading to a nervous breakdown.
Scientific studies point out to the imbalance of serotonin and norepinephrine as the culprits in the incidence of panic attacks where the neurological function is subjected to a chemical imbalance. Often genetics play a role in the disorder and has been found to run in families.
Common symptoms include trembling, palpitations, and shortness of breath, sweating, nausea, dizziness, hyperventilation and tingling sensations. Others develop a sense of being choked or smothered. In repeated and unprovoked panic attacks a sign or manifestation of a panic disorder may ensue. However panic attacks are also associated with other common anxiety disorders like in persons with phobias whose exposure to their feared object or scenario trigger an attack.
Panic attacks are potentially disabling, but it can be controlled. The various symptoms of a panic attack are often mistaken as a cardiac attack or a life-threatening medical illness. This misconception often increases the incidence of future panic attacks. People often submit to the hospital emergency rooms when they are having a panic attack, and extensive medical tests are performed to rule out other conditions, which creates further anxiety.
Treatment for panic attacks includes medications and psychotherapy. Normally the mental health practitioners assisting you in the treatment of panic disorder are psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers. To submit for a medical treatment for panic disorder however, one should visit a psychiatrist. Psychotherapy may be provided by a clinical or counseling psychologist. Medications can also be used to break any psychological connection between a specific phobia and panic attacks.
Common medications prescribed are antidepressants or anti-anxiety drugs in anticipation or during a panic attack.
Some psychologists believe that usual exposure to the phobia trigger with medical assistance can often break the phobia-panic pattern, allowing people to gradually adjust to the stressor without the help of medications. However, minor phobias that develop as a result of a panic attack can be prevented without medication through behavioral therapy or simply by assisted exposure.
Under a combination of therapy and medications, the best results are often seen. For some, a fair improvement may be noticed in a short period of less than 8 weeks. Finding the right pair of medications and mental health professional takes more effort. Appropriate treatment by an experienced professional can often prevent panic attacks or at least reduce its severity and frequency.
Other panic attacks caused by an underlying emotional problem like depression, alcoholism and drug addiction are more frequent in people with panic disorder. The underlying problem needs to be treated before the total panic disorder is completely or at least partially eliminated.
Most less severe and less recurrent attacks submitted to the emergency rooms are advised to breath in paper bags to help boost the carbon dioxide levels in the body.
Posts Tagged ‘Anxiety Disorders’
What is Panic Attack
Tuesday, December 29th, 2009What sorts of medications are available for anxiety disorders?
Saturday, October 3rd, 2009
If you have anxiety disorder, what works best for you? Do they have medications that you can take just when you are having an attack, or is it always something you have to take every day? Are there ones with less sexual side effects? How about ones you can take while pregnant?
How to Heal Anxiety and Panic Attacks
Monday, September 14th, 2009
act that anxiety and panic attacks can strike at any time or any place. For those of us who are prone to them, they can take over their lives. For people who have had more than one panic attack, the fear that another will occur can be debilitating.
So, that it is clear what a panic or anxiety attack is, here is a list of the sorts of feelings which are commonly reported during these periods:
–A feeling that the world is closing in on you
–Strangely dizzy sensations
–A heartbeat that is pounding, much, much faster than usual
–Possibly a tingling in your chest
–Sweating
–An inability to concentrate.
Also, very commonly people suffer an acute fear of dying during the panic attack. Don\’t worry – you won\’t die though, nobody does.
A number of studies are ongoing to research into the causes, prevention, and treatment of anxiety disorders and other similar psychological disorders. Medical experts are particularly keen to understand how genetic factors and family background combine with life experiences to put a person at risk for these disorders. New drugs are being tested by these Health Institutions in clinical trials, as well as therapy approaches.
Some say that our children are more likely to suffer from panic attacks than the kids of non-panic-ers. They say that there does seem to be a genetic basis. In this area like so many others it is useful to study genetic twins. Some web articles say that in almost half of the cases of identical twins with panic both twins are affected. But, we should not dismiss the fact that behavioral learning may also play a role. That means, if I put it in a more simple way, that our children are likely to follow in our steps if we show anxiety to the extent of panic.
Now let me at this point just say, that if you do think you are starting an episode of anxiety which might develop into a panic attack, take care to remove yourself from dangerous situations. Do this especially if you might become, for a while, a danger to others. The obvious example here is that if you are driving, then stop and only start again once you are feeling better less stressed. If that means asking for help – so be it. Your friends and family will help you.
I am not a medic but I, like very many people, see self help as the starting point in finding a way to heal anxiety and panic attacks, as long as there is no biological cause (and you should consult your medical advisor in the first instance of course about this).
Instead of looking for exotic cures, try the simple things first. If something drug free and low cost, requiring only your time and participation works, then you will not need to look further.
One of the first and simplest things of all to do is to begin to keep a diary of all the situations that trigger panic attacks. That will mean that later you will know how often, when and where, they happened.
We listed common experiences during an attack earlier so write down each type of feeling that you experienced. What were you doing when is started and thinking, feeling at that time? Again, later you will know what the symptoms were.
Why do this you say? Well, a psychologist would I think say that the act of recording and describing each attack will help to put you in charge of the situation. You will also in later review of the information be able deduce how modifying your environment might help prevent future anxiety attacks.
We recommend that you check out the following self-help mini e-learning series: Panic Away, by Joe Barry. He suffered from Panic and Anxiety himself for years, until he managed to hit on one technique that is an almost fail-safe guarantee to rid you of your panic and anxiety.
2: What Causes Panic Attacks and Choosing Panic Attack Treatment
First let us be sure we know what a panic attack is. In physiological terms panic attacks almost always involve the body producing an excess of adrenaline. It is the effect of this suddenly entering into your system, in combination with several other related emotional factors going on within your psyche.
The underlying cause of panic attacks varies for everyone that suffers, and is still open to debate, but the precise cause quite naturally does seem to vary from person to person. Some panic attacks seem to come on unexpectedly, and this is certainly the case for everyone\’s our first attack. Other anxieties may build up over time for some people and certainly many are most likely triggered later, after a traumatic event. The type of traumatic event varies widely but a good example would be a car accident. Others anxiety/panic attacks turn out to be situation-specific and an attack is frequently triggered if a certain pattern of circumstances recurs for the individual.
Medications such as Klonopin and Zoloft have been prescribed for the alleviation of these attacks. A lady said that she has taken these drugs for her anxiety, and at one time she was free from symptoms for more than 10 years, but the problem came back. She took no medication and it went away again.
Those who study panic attacks find that the attacks commonly occur in clusters. That is, plural episodes for several weeks or months followed by several months to years of joyful absence of the problem. Attacks do tend to be more prevalent in some families and we have been told that attacks are often reduced with SRI drugs like Zoloft.
Attacks of this sort can also be distressing problem for children, although mercifully only rarely. I\’m not a pediatrician so I can\’t tell you the incidence of panic attacks in kids, but according to web information seen, it seems pretty small. Usually, panic attacks do not start until in the late teens, but it can start earlier.
Counseling can be available for confronting the problem and reducing the anxiety that can produce a panic attack. It is also, of course, suitable for a wide range of conditions such as bereavement or marital problems. Counseling is an excellent approach and it is well proven that it helps many people every day live through difficult stages of their life.
Tips for Panic Attacks
Thursday, August 27th, 2009
If you are suffering with panic attacks you will know how debilitating they are. Anyone who has experienced a panic attack will generally say that it is one of the most intensely frightening, upsetting and uncomfortable experiences of a person’s life. Panic attacks can be as short as 1-5 minutes, whist other times they may sometimes form a cyclic series of episodes, lasting for an extended period, sometimes hours.
Panic attacks are sudden, discrete periods of intense anxiety. They are often experienced in conjunction with anxiety disorders and other psychological conditions, although panic attacks are not always indicative of a mental disorder, nor are they uncommon. Panic Disorders are strikingly different from other types of anxiety disorders in that panic attacks are often sudden and unprovoked. They have also been found to run in families, and this may mean that inheritance genes plays a strong role in determining who will get it.
During the hyperventilation stage you might find you are experiencing some pretty scary symptoms and you could be heading towards a full-blown panic attack. The more experienced sufferers amongst you may be able to completely ride out a panic attack showing very little or even no obvious symptoms to those around them. Whilst others, notably first-time sufferers, may even call for emergency services. Many people who experience symptoms of a panic attack for the first time will fear they are having a heart attack, as the symptoms can seem very similar. Even health care professionals who have not seen one before can be mistaken.
So you have panic attacks but how can you help yourself? Well my 5 tips are:
1./ Your Breathing – During times of stress we neglect correct breathing. Around 60% of all panic attacks are associated with hyperventilation. Hyperventilation (over breathing) makes panic attacks worse. When you hyperventilate your body takes in too much oxygen, even though the sufferer believes they can’t breath. For the oxygen to work correctly in your body you need the correct mix of oxygen and carbon dioxide. Hyperventilation knocks the mix off balance. It has been common practice to advise people to take long deep breaths but this will only make you more anxious to relax you should inhale fully, staying relaxed, and then proceed without pausing to exhale slowly. Repeating as many times as possible. One of the other things panic attack sufferers have been taught is to breathe in and out of a paper bag. The idea behind this is that by breathing in and out of a paper bag you are inhaling more CO2. It does work but not as quickly or as effectively as some doctors think.
While it is not harmful to hyperventilation sufferers, it hasn’t actually been shown to help them either, what they do though is hurt sufferers of dangerous medical conditions that look like hyperventilation. Heart attacks and asthma can be commonly mistaken for hyperventilation.
2./ Posture – Posture effects breathing more than people think. As we get anxious and stressed we retreat into ourselves and almost start to physically curl up. It is totally a subconscious movement but its result is to compress the bodies internal organs. This means we take shallower breaths and the mix between CO2 and oxygen changes. You need to work at keeping a correct posture, get friends and family to remind you and look at how you are sitting at work.
3./ Diversion methods -
Talk to someone to take your mind off your thoughts.
If a panic attack comes on through the night don’t lie there thinking get up and do something, keep moving, eat, drink, watch TV.
Try not to sit down keep yourself active and walk around.
Tell yourself over and over that the panic attack can’t hurt you and it will subside.
Try to do something that occupies your mind, sing out loud, add up and subtract in your mind, recite nursery rhymes, anything to keep your mind working.
Splash your face with cold water.
4./ Familiarise yourself with panic attack symptoms.
5./ Check your beliefs about panic attacks, to see if you are fueling your panic attacks unnecessarily.
Hopefully some of the tips above will help you in your quest to manage your panic attacks.
What are some therapies for depression other than meds?
Tuesday, June 30th, 2009
My boyfriend has severe depression, as well as anxiety disorders. Lately it’s been pretty bad. He’s already on a variety of medications. They lessen the severity, but like I said, it’s still pretty bad. What are some other ways he can bring his depression and anxiety under control? I don’t mean taking herbal remedies or anything like that. I mean something like exercising, which his doctor recommended.
Any help is greatly appreciated, thanks.
Child Anxiety Attacks – The Unreported truth
Wednesday, June 17th, 2009
Anxiety disorders can effect people of all walks of life, ethnic backgrounds, and age groups. Child anxiety attacks are not only possible, they are probably happening more than doctors realize. This condition seems to especially effect teenagers and can persist into young adulthood.
Symptoms of a Child Anxiety Attack
The symptoms of a child anxiety attack are generally the same as an adult having an anxiety attack would feel. A child anxiety attack may start with a psychological symptom, such as a persistent and strong feeling of dread or fear. This is then followed by physical symptoms, the same as an adult would experience: racing heart, chest discomfort, numbness or tingling in the extremities, et cetera. Also common among child anxiety sufferers are diarrhea, stomach pain, headaches, nausea, and shortness of breath.
Effects of Child Anxiety Attacks
Even though anxiety attacks generally don’t cause any direct physical damage, the effects on a child’s psyche can be very noticeable. Children suffering from child anxiety attacks often have trouble concentrating in school, and may show an overall lower ability to learn or make decisions. Often child anxiety attacks can be triggered by social situations, so the child may attempt to isolate themselves to try and avoid triggering a child anxiety attack.
There are many different kinds of child anxiety disorders: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), acute stress disorder, social or general phobias, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and adjustment disorders with anxiety, to name just a few. Many of these involve child anxiety disorders that focus on specific situations, people, objects, et cetera.
Helping Your Child
If your child is experiencing anything that you suspect may be child anxiety attacks, you should take them to see a doctor. He will be able to diagnose whether there is anything physically wrong, and if not, will be able to recommend some treatments that can help.
Generally, child anxiety is treated the same way as adult anxiety: with medication and therapy. Your doctor will be able to prescribe medications that will help control your child’s anxiety attacks. The therapy will help them to overcome the fears that are at the root of the child anxiety attacks.
At home, try and keep your child’s life as stress-free as possible. Don’t be overbearing or put too much pressure on them to be perfect. Don’t argue with your husband or wife where they can hear you. Stress from a bad home life can really take its toll on a child’s mind. Rather, make sure they feel loved and secure, and that they know they will always be loved even if they don’t get that “A”. You’ll find that reducing the stress your child feels can help their recovery quite a bit.
How can I explain my husband about my anxiety disorders?
Friday, June 12th, 2009
I have been suffering from anxiety disorders for years. I recently started working with a mental health professional. Therapy seem to work well. But my husband, constantly keeps judging and hurting me. I am not able to explain him my situation. We both are very well educated to understand things. I work very hard both at home and at work to provide for the family. How can I explain him, my struggle or suffering, when he is just not willing to listen and keeps saying, I complain all these problems to avoid doing work or I simply like to be unhappy. Its just miserable. Any suggestions?
