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Panic Attack Treatments
According to the American Psychological Association, approximately one of out every 75 adults in the United States suffers from panic attacks, the hallmark feature of Panic Disorder. Psychologists define Panic Disorder as an unexpected, overwhelming sense of fright which occurs with or without provocation and peaks within about 10 minutes usually. A large proportion of those afflicted with Panic Disorder have reported experiencing a panic attack for absolutely no reason at all. Rarely, panic attacks can occur while people sleep too.
Signs of a Panic Attack
In order to receive a clinical diagnosis of Panic Disorder by amental health professional, patients must display at least four of these symptoms together during a sudden, debilitating sensation of extreme fear: dizziness, fast heart rate, uncontrollable trembling, a feeling of being smothered, nausea and sweating. Also included in the list of common clinical symptoms for a panic attack is a fear of “losing your mind.” Panic attacks can even progress to the level of depersonalization (i.e. being outside of yourself) and derealization (i.e. feeling of unreality) in the most severe cases.
Panic Attack Treatments: Medication
Psychiatrists have an array of psychotropic medications at their disposal in the treatment of Panic Disorder. Anxiolytic medications such as Alprazolam and Clonazepam are quite useful in dulling the intensity of sudden, extreme anxiety once a panic attack has started. Also known as benzodiazepines, these anti-anxiety drugs unfortunately can become habit-forming, so psychiatrists typically prescribe these potentially addictive drugs with much caution. Psychiatrists can also attempt to utilize anti-depressant medication in order to manage anxiety in long-term pharmaceutical maintenance therapy.
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
A growing body of research suggests that psychotherapy should be used together with anti-anxiety medications. A large segment of people afflicted with persistent panic attacks choose psychotherapy over medication. Specifically, psychologists continue to implement a form of psychotherapy known as Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy with great efficacy.
Deep Breathing and Muscle Relaxing Techniques
The beauty of self-help techniques are their simplicity – so simple that anyone can use them anywhere after enough repetition and unwavering volition. Breathing deeply has a well-documented, soothing effect; the heart rate falls in a matter of minutes. The most difficult part of deep breathing and relaxing techniques is learning how to do it, when the body is suffering from the fear of death. Just remind yourself, that nobody can die from the panic attack, and soon it will be over. Spot the physical signs of an oncoming panic attack ahead of time and use deep breathing. Tense your muscles tightly for 5 seconds and then relax them as much as possible. Repeat on different muscle groups.
Exercise
Exercise (or dancing, washing dishes, playing with a dog) helps anxiety sufferers to “burn off” any excess nervousness, or otherwise stated - high level of adrenaline. Exercise become one of the most effective ways to sooth panic attacks, and is a quick and simple self-help technique.
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