Today our life is nothing but a series of intricacies. Tension, sorrow and trauma are reigning supreme all over and every human being is fighting some issue or the other. Relaxation is so far from us that we cannot achieve it even during holidays meant for it. Anxiety, stress and strain has become an indispensable part of our lives.
A more heightened and intensified worry is anxiety disorder and panic attack. Let us try and find out more about panic attacks.
Short periods of intense anxiety, during which the patient is plagued by acute manifestations like increased hear beat, trembling, sweating, hot flushes or chills, nausea, giddiness, breathlessness, butterflies in the stomach, paresthesias, derealisation or depersonalization, may be termed as Panic Attack. The disorder may be diagnosed in accordance with the guidelines provided in the Diagnostic and Statistic Manual IV of the American Psychiatric Association.
Also included in anxiety disorders are phobias, social anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress, obsessive and compulsive disorder and, the most common of them all, generalized anxiety disorder.
At times, the disorder may also be a consequence of Vitamin B deficiency, tapeworm infection or inner ear infection; it may also be a result of drug or alcohol abuse. However, most commonly, it is the heredity of an individual which has been accused to be the prime causative agent of panic attacks by researchers – a certain set of genes when given the company of certain environmental factors cause the onset of panic disorder.
Anxiety attack cure is possible – there can be a three-pronged process for the same:
>Lifestyle changes – increasing the dose of relaxation and laughter in one’s timetable
>Sessions with a psychotherapist – therapeutic assistance and soothing conversation with the psychoanalyst has been the reason of the cure of several anxiety disorder and panic attack patients
>Medication – a variety of pharmaceutical companies have brought medicines for panic and anxiety disorders
Relaxation is the ultimate panic attack treatment. Many relaxation modes are available today – like the spas and the massage centres that specialize in acupuncture and acupressure and the yoga and the Thai Chi training institutes. These provide relaxation of mind and body, which ultimately lead to loosening of tension and lessening of anxiety. Several relaxation techniques work by inducing deep sleep, which in turn is the best possible relaxant.
A modification of one’s timetable and lifestyle may lead to increased peace of mind and less of tension. Time spent in the company of children and pets is time spent well – children and pets have the capacity to drain your body of negativity and refuel you with positive energy. Laughter therapy is one more way of combating panic attacks – for this join a laughter club or check out the comedy shows on your television. Do not forget that laughter is quite definitely the best medicine. Also helpful are meditation and spirituality – they help you maintain your balance in this mad, mad world.
However, all the above mentioned methods cannot be used for severe cases – they can only form a part of the psycho-treatment regime.
With the psychoanalyst are available several possible treatments for anxiety attack and panic. The best and most popular among these is Cognitive and Behavioural therapy – called CBT in short. CBT has two parts – first – make the patient aware of how various thoughts flit in and out of his mind and second – making him strong to fight the onset of a panic attack. This is arguably the best panic attack treatment because it chiefly addresses the nub of the problem – the patient’s mind. The patient, within a few sessions, gains on his will power and positive thinking. He now begins to make an effort to fight, instead of aid the start of a panic attack.
Another alternative therapy is Exposure Therapy or Gradual Exposure Therapy. In several cases, the anxiety and panic can be because of a particular causative agent, and this agent may be termed as the fear factor or phobia of the patient. The patient is now exposed, or made to face his fear in controlled surroundings and under the keen eye of the clinician. The intensity or degree of the fear factor follows a hierarchy and is gradually increased in steps as the patient’s tolerance of the less severe forms increases. Finally, at one point, the patient rids himself of the fear factor totally.
Sometimes, medicines are involved with psychotherapist’s treatment and lifestyle changes to impart an effective anxiety attack cure – however, most clinicians avoid medication as the sole treatment program as these drugs often have side effects. They are all mostly tranquilizers and work by changing the neurotransmitter level in the brain. The major drug classes are:
**Benzodiazepines – alprazolam, clonzepam, diazepam
**Buspirone
**Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors – paroxetine, sertraline, fluvoxamine
**Serotonin Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors – Venlafaxine, Tramadol
**Tricyclic Antidepressants – Amitriptyline, Trimipramine
Visit the EFT Web site for a rich
source of information
Addictions, Compulsions &
Thomas Bronson is the co-author of Curing Your Anxiety And Panic Attacks which detailed anxiety cure as well as tips on the various medication for panic attacks available at www.anxietydisordercure.com.
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