Anxiety disorder treatments: For a care-free existence

Anxiety disorder and panic attacks have virtually established themselves as the icon of the 21st century. Our hustled-and-bustled age is often decreed the guilty party in the case.

Anxiety disorder is a psychotic ailment and open to treatment. However, what lacks is the necessary information about its symptoms, causes and cures.
Usual symptoms of the disorder would include restlessness or feeling keyed up or on edge, difficulty concentrating or mind going blank, irritability, muscle tension and sleep disturbance. If these symptoms are apparent for more than a six-month period, a psychotherapist would categorise the patient as an anxiety disorder sufferer.

The disease is not just one, but a motley of several related disorders:

The various categories of anxiety disorder are:
•    Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)
•    Post-traumatic Stress disorder (PTSD)
•    Obsessive and Compulsive disorder (OCD)
•    Social disorders like Agoraphobia
•    Other phobias
•    Separation disorder
Since the disease is versatile, so is it possible therapies.
Anxiety disorder treatments are several:
•    Psychological – various therapies like Cognitive and Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Exposure Therapy (ET), Exposure and response prevention therapy (ERP) et cetera
•    Chemical – medicines like benzodiazepines
•    Physical – exercises like yoga and Thai-Chi, massages, acupressure and acupuncture
•    Lifestyle modification – music therapy, laughter therapy, diet control
Various permutations and combinations of these available therapies are generally utilized to suit individual cases.

CBT has often been considered the soundest anxiety disorder cure. It involves sessions with a trained therapist during which patient is encouraged to toughen his mind against panicky thoughts. He tries to sift his coherent and incoherent thoughts and may even make an effort to come up with plausible causes of his anxieties.

Biofeedback is mechanism used sometimes in conjunction with CBT. It consists of attaching several small portable meters to a patient’s body – these machines record quantities like heartbeat, blood pressure, sweat gland activity and body temperature so that the patient sees the changes in the values himself. The visualization of the fluctuation in his physiological parameters helps the patient realize more strongly the effect of his panicky thoughts on his body. The desire to control his thoughts and his body variables now enters his conscious mind. It has been observed that gradually, the patient’s will power strengthens to an extent that he can begin to control his body parameter changes, though the shift from unconscious to conscious control is only partial.

Exposure therapy is used for phobia patients – subjects who associate certain factors with paralyzing terror, even when the factor may be harmless in itself or exist in an undamaging form. PTSD patients, who have undergone some harrowing experiences, tend to harbour memories of the incident and associate the accident-related factor with terror. Exposure therapy employs the fear factor under controlled conditions and the subject is made to face it. Repetition of the activity severs the link of perceived harm between the fear factor and the patient – as the patient is not undergoing any physical damage as he is vis-a-vis his phobia.

Along similar lines works the ERP therapy. Obsession patients usually harbour a certain unnatural fear – as in fear of dirt, say – and keep on repeating an activity that in their logic negates the fear – for instance, continuous washing of hands. Hence, he is exposed to the fear factor – dirt (exposure) and is prevented from doing his counteractive action – hand washing (response prevention). As no harm comes his way, he gives up being afraid, and as he perceives the futility of his counteractive action, he gives up that, too.

Some medicines can be used as part of the therapeutic regime, too. Most of these are tranquilizers or sedatives, and thereby end up calming a worked-up brain. Important groups of drugs would be: Benzodiazepine, Buspirone and Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors(SSRIs).
Medicines may be habit forming or open to abuse. As such, they must be consumed under strict medical care.

Pyschosurgery is one method that can be used as a last-ditch effort. A certain portion of the brain is removed surgically so that the nerves responsible for the patient’s bouts are rendered useless. It is a controversy-ridden act and has variable results.

General means to relax, like yoga, massage therapies, laughter therapy, music therapy, spa treatments, sauna baths, et cetera have also been utilized to lessen the effect of anxiety on our system. Most of these methods succeed in providing relief for the time being only. Best medication for panic disorder would be relaxation. There is nothing like deep sleep – tired nature’s sweet restorer.