Today, panic attacks and anxiety disorders have become symbolic of our century and there are many patients suffering from these ailments. Nevertheless, the panic attack treatments are available - they must be partaken of for improved mental fitness.
Existence today is getting complicated. All around us, there is tension, sorrow, trauma and fatigue and most of us are combating some worry or the other. The hustle has increased so much into our lives that even a holiday taken to relax the nerves may lead to strain. Stress, anxiety, panic therefore, have become part of the average Joe's daily routine.
A more complicated version of normal everyday worry is anxiety disorder and panic attack. Let us begin by trying to understand what panic attacks are.
Increased hear beat, trembling, sweating, hot flushes or chills, nausea, giddiness, breathlessness, butterflies in the stomach, paresthesias, derealisation or depersonalization - these are the main symptoms that are observed in the panic attack patient for short periods. The Diagnostic and Statistic Manual IV of the American Psychiatric Association has provided guidelines for the diagnosis of the disorder.
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 treatment 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
The best panic attack treatment is nothing other than deep relaxation. Several methods are available today to aid in one's complete relaxation - for instance there the spas and the massage centers which can also excel in providing acupuncture and acupressure; apart from these are the yoga and the Thai Chi training institutes. These methods are a-one for providing total easing of tension from one's mind and body and lead to a major decrease in anxiety. Most of the relaxation techniques work by causing the patient to go into deep slumber - and this freshens and enlivens the patient.
For enhanced peace of mind and solace, it is advisable to incorporate some slight changes in one's way of living life. Try and spend time with children and pets - they have the quality of taking you away from negative thoughts and replenish you with positive energy. The much applauded laughter therapy is also a great way out - join laughter clubs or watch more comedy shows on TV - either way, laugh your way out of panic attacks. Laughter, they tell me, is the best medicine after all! One other practice that may help ease anxiety to a great extent is adoption meditation as part of daily routine and spirituality as a bent of mind - both can prove to be a great aid to anxiety riddance.
However, these cannot be the only mode of therapy in serious and severe cases - at best, these can be used side-by-side or after the psychotherapies. A psychotherapist has a number of scientifically designed cures for the panic attack patient. The most popular and significant among these is Cognitive and Behavioural Therapy or CBT. CBT involves two stages - firstly, it helps make the patient aware of his thought-flow and secondly, it makes the patient try to control his body's reactions to panic. This is almost the best possible panic attack treatment as it aims to strengthen that part of the patient which has been worst affected - his mind. The method increases the optimism in the patient within a few sessions and also makes his will power strong. The patient now begins to fight the start of a panic attack.
The other arrows in the psychotherapist's quiver are Exposure Therapy or Gradual Exposure Therapy. At times the cause of the patient's panic can be traced to a particular agent or factor often called the fear factor or phobia of the patient. In exposure therapy, patient is made to come vis-a-vis with this fear factor of his - albeit under controlled surroundings only and under the eye of the psychotherapist. Once he tolerates a less severe form of the fear factor, he is exposed to a more severe form and so on. Finally, at the end, patient is now capable of facing the severest form of the fear factor - he sheds his fears totally.
Many a time, medicines are used as anxiety attack cure along with lifestyle modifications and sessions with the psychoanalyst - usually, they are not used all by themselves as they are not free from side effects. They are usually sedatives and affect the level of neurotransmitters in brain. Their major classes include:
-Benzodiazepines - alprazolam, clonzepam, diazepam
-Buspirone
-Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors - paroxetine, sertraline, fluvoxamine
-Serotonin Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors - Venlafaxine, Tramadol
-Tricyclic Antidepressants - Amitriptyline, Trimipramine
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