Treatment for anxiety attack – Putting the Lid down on Panic

Anxiety disorder is a multi-headed demon, something akin to the Hindu demon Ravan. It sprouts from a variety of causes – as varied as from genetic to stress-induced. Some of the manifestations of the syndrome include:
•    Generalized anxiety Disorder
•    Panic attack
•    Phobias
•    Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
•    Separation Disorder
•    Obsessive and Compulsive Disorder
The ailments have been observed in children, teenagers and adults.
A general problem associated with anxiety disorders is the lack of awareness about its underlying causes, symptoms as well as treatments and panic disorder medicines. For instance, how many of us know what Agoraphobia is?

Very few!

Agoraphobia (from Greek agora = marketplace and –phobia = fear) is a form of social anxiety disorder, caused by the fear of being in a setting from which there is no easy means of escape. As a result, sufferers of agoraphobia may avoid public places or places foreign to them. In extreme cases, the patient gets confined to his home, imagining it to be safe.
People who have faced traumatic situations find it difficult to acclimatize themselves to even normal manifestations of their fear factor, thereby making them victims of post-traumatic stress disorder.
Children resisting school or hostels are scared of living apart from their parents – these security issues that a child has can be clubbed as separation disorder.
A particular action that a person tends to do repeatedly because of some associated paranoia in his mind has been described as Obsessive and Compulsive disorder.

There are various treatments for anxiety attacks, some common to all types and some specific.

The most important psychotherapy available is Cognitive and Behavioural therapy (CBT). The patient attends one-to-one sessions with the psychotherapist and learns to master his thoughts and to strengthen his will power. He makes an effort to hold his panic and anxiety when the bout sets in. In other words, he becomes cognizant of his thought processes and controls his behavioural responses.

Biofeedback is another therapeutic mechanism used in conjunction with CBT. It consists of attaching several small portable meters to a patient’s body – these machines measure quantities  like heartbeat, blood pressure, sweat gland activity and body temperature in such a way that the patient himself can see the changes in the values. 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 begins to take root in his psychology. 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, albeit only partially.

Some other therapies available include:
•    Exposure therapy – post-traumatic stress disorder patients are made to face their fear factors in a controlled environment and in the presence of a trained psychotherapist. The patient slowly gets adapted to the fear factor and his phobia reduces considerably.
•    Exposure and response prevention therapy – obsessive and compulsive disorder patients are given this treatment. They are exposed to whatever fear they may have and are, as the title suggests, prevented from giving the characteristic response. For example: the patient is exposed to dirt (fear/cause) and forbidden to wash his hands (response). The therapy follows the same logic as exposure therapy.
•    Eye movement desensitization and reprogramming therapy (EMDR) – an alternative social anxiety disorder treatment. Agoraphobias and other social anxiety disorders may have as their root cause certain unpleasant, even traumatic memories that have not been processed properly. It presupposes that a complete processing can bring about treatment of symptoms. It is an eight-phase treatment. EMDR's most unique aspect is an unusual component of dual stimulation of the brain, such as to and fro eye movements, sounds like pings or taps, or bilateral tactile stimulation coupled with cognitions, visualized images and body sensation. EMDR also utilizes dual attention awareness – the negative thought about the trauma and a positive belief about self – to allow the individual to move between the traumatic past and the safety of the present moment.
Other general treatments for anxiety attack include sleep-inducing baths or sauna treatments, music therapy, laughter therapy, massage, acupressure and acupuncture, yoga et cetera. Segregation of caffeine from the diet is also advised.
Panic disorder medicine is also available and can be made use of is the psychotherapist deems it necessary. Major groups of drugs involved are all sedatives. Benzodiazepines, Buspirones and Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors are some of the popular classes of medicanes.