Treatment of Anxiety Attack Will Require Your Full Participation

A panic attack is a rush of uncomfortable thoughts with real physical symptoms that starts with shaking and sweating and culminates into feeling of choking with shortness of breathe and chest pain. The symptoms seem so real that the patient is sized with a fear of dying. Some times, he is seized with the fear of loosing control and getting crazy. Although the first panic attack may come under a specific situation, the following attacks come unpredictably. It needs no stressor or reminder to rush on and literally seize the victim.

The panic attacks are so bad that the patients are always afraid of another attack coming any moment. This fear of another attack actually brings about another attack and the cycle goes on and on until the patient becomes almost paranoid. He is fearful of staying alone, fearful of being in company; fearful of venturing out of the home or in the public places. The good news is that such patients can be successfully treated with the panic disorder self help.

Cognitive behavioral therapy, which is a combination of cognitive therapy and behavioral therapy, has turned out to be a powerful tool in the hands of psychiatrists in the treatment of panic disorder. The therapy aims to influence the dysfunctional emotions, behaviors and cognitions through a goal oriented systematic procedure.  The cognitive therapy behavioral will teach you some self-help techniques.

The term cognitive refers to our thought process. It reflects what we think, believe and perceive. The therapy will teach you to turn your thought away from that which triggers your panic attack. With the help of the therapy, you will learn to stop the thought of fear from forming inside your mind. If you can do that, the panic attack will automatically stop. The behavioral theory on the other hand will help you to tackle the situation by teaching you techniques such as self-monitory skills, relaxation techniques, exposure techniques etc. It will teach you to expose yourself to the situation that first triggered the panic attack in stages.

Cognitive behavioral therapy is not only good for panic disorder. It is equally good for anxiety attacks, mood disorder, personality disorder etc. Although anxiety attack is different from panic disorder in that the panic disorder is more intense, the two terms are often used interchangeably. Actually, both are included under a broader umbrella of ‘anxiety disorder’. Panic disorder and anxiety attack are closely related and their treatments are quite similar. Both of them can be tackled by panic disorder self help techniques, taught by cognitive behavioral theory.

Cognitive behavioral therapy takes time to be effective. It is a time-consuming process and therefore treatment of anxiety attack as well as that of panic disorder includes medicines such as benzodiazepines and antidepressants. Among the two, benzodiazepines are more commonly used for rapid short-term relief of symptoms. They are very useful in that they can be taken as and when they are needed. However, they also have a very short span of action.  Because of this, benzodiazepines are habit forming and increase drug dependence.

Antidepressants, on the other hand works slowly. Such medicines reduce the intensity of the symptom by balancing the chemicals in the brain. One can expect some results after three weeks of taking the medicine. However, no substantial improvement can be expected before eight weeks.

The anxiety disorder is a medical problem that should be treated medically. Contrary to what you constantly hear from others, it is not a weakness that will go away if you try to master mental strength. You need help. Though self-help is the best help, you have to learn how to help yourself. Therefore, if you believe the anxiety problem is hampering your life go and see your doctor first. Although you will need psychiatric help in the end, your family doctor will be able to channel you properly.

Treatment for anxiety attack as well as panic disorder includes:

1.    cognitive behavioral therapy

2.    medication

3.    lifestyle changes

We have already talked about cognitive behavioral therapy and medicines involved in the treatment. Life style changes are too important panic disorder self-help. Meditation has a calming effect on the nerves and is a useful tool in the treatment of anxiety attack. An active life style also helps in controlling the anxiety disorder. Do regular exercise, practice deep breathing, go out, and meet people. Do not fear another attack in front of company for there is nothing to be embarrassed about. Treat your disorder as an ailment, which it really is.

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Anxiety attack treatment will require your full participation. You must take active part in the treatment. Panic disorder self help will work only if you have a will to get well. Without your active participation, no treatment of anxiety attack will succeed.