Treat anxiety attack – Let’s give panic a sack

Anxiety attack has become one of the commonest diseases to ail the human mind in the 21st century. Children, teenagers, adults – none is exempt.

This disorder is not just one but a whole group of related maladies – it has, as such, a wide gamut of aetiology, prognosis and treatments. Most of the times, it is possible to treat anxiety attack. It is wholly eradicable and leaves no sign behind. What is required is more information about the disorder itself and, of course, its cures.

The various categories of anxiety disorder are:
•    Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)
•    Obsessive and Compulsive disorder (OCD)
•    Social disorders like Agoraphobia
•    Other phobias
•    Separation disorder
•    Post-traumatic Stress disorder (PTSD)
•    Panic attacks
The next step in line would be correct diagnosis, which is essential to ascertain which panic attack cures are to be followed. GAD is amenable to self-tests and several websites do offer a YES/NO type questionnaire to help the test taker identify himself as a sufferer or a potential sufferer. An example of such a questionnaire would include:

Breathing symptoms
Crazy thoughts, unwanted thoughts, going crazy
Depersonalization
Dizziness
Feel like fainting, passing out
Feel like losing control, freaking out
Heart/chest related symptoms
Muscle pain, tension, twitching
Ringing in the ears
Stomach related symptoms

Apart from these self-tests, a visit to the nearest psychotherapist is also helpful. The diagnosis of anxiety disorder is done according to the criteria formulated by the American Psychiatric Association (APA). The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual IV (DSM-IV) is referred to by registered clinicians for diagnosis.

A variety of therapies can be made use of by the clinician to rid the patient of his excruciating mental agonies. The most important among these would be the Cognitive and Behavioural Therapy (CBT). CBT works on the theory that since anxiety disorders are mostly an ailment of the mind, if the mind itself is steeled and toughened to fight, the battle shall be won. It is, therefore, the soundest panic attack cure. The patient attends training sessions with the therapist during which his mind is reinforced with positive thoughts and his will power is encouraged to take control. The mind that had previously been kneeling down before fearful and panicky thoughts bucks up and fights its demons. An example would be the ‘I shall not panic’ chants that a patient keeps repeating in his head as he senses the onset of an attack and tries to curb it.

Exposure and response prevention (ERP) is another form of therapy used generally on OCD patients. These subjects tend to have a specific fear in the recesses of their minds, and keep on doing some action repeatedly, which in their reasoning counteracts the fear. For instance, the patient may keep locking the door for fear of a theft. The ERP therapy works by exposing the patient to his fear, and preventing his response to it. The presence of fear and the absence of harm even when the patient is not performing his particular act of prevention leads to nullification of the fear on one hand and the establishment, in the patient’s mind, of the futility of his repeated action. It is hence, a successful panic attack cure.

Exposure therapy has been used on PTSD and phobia patients. Like ERP, they are exposed to their specific fear factors under controlled conditions. The fact that their fear factor is not harming them, leads to rendering the effect of it null and void.

Apart from these therapies, several medicines for panic disorder are also to be had. Available at a clinician’s prescription, these medicines can be freely obtained across a counter. Most of these are tranquilizers by nature, and act by putting the brain to sleep. Some medicines include: the Benzodiazepine group, Buspirones and Selective Serotonin reuptake inhibitors.

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 temporary respite.

It may be mentioned here that no pharmacopeia offers a single panic attack cure – the disease is a multi-faceted one and as such, has to be tackled by an integrated approach where more than one type of therapies are combined to yield successful results.