Friday, September 07, 2012

Panic Attacks Help

By Emily Dickson


If panic attacks are something which you've had to deal with yourself, there's no need to tell you that the symptoms: nausea, rapid heartbeat, increased respiration and dizziness can be intense. Even if you've never had a panic attack, you are probably at least somewhat aware of these effects of the condition. What you probably don't know is what triggers these episodes of crippling fear and anxiety. It's different for every person but in the majority of cases, it is an irrational fear which begins the spiral of anxiety which becomes a full blown panic attack. Even though sufferers may be perfectly aware that these fears are irrational, this knowledge does not prevent attacks. Because of the social embarrassment panic attacks can cause, many sufferers avoid telling anyone about them out of shame over how their fear has affected them. Unfortunately, this often means that they fail to seek out panic attacks help.

Most experts think that using cognitive and behavioral therapy together provides the most powerful panic attacks help. For a lot of panic attack sufferers, learning more about the attacks is the first step towards being able to control the disorder. Cognitive therapy is used to change how patients perceive their attacks, leading them to the knowledge that their attacks will not kill them, a panic attack is not a heart attack and that they are not losing their grip on sanity. This form of therapy can also help patients to change fearful thought patterns with new, more positive ones. The majority of experts in the field agree that the best panic attacks help can be found by using both behavioral and cognitive therapy. Quite often, learning to manage panic attacks effectively begins with learning more about the disorder. Cognitive therapy can change the way that people think about their condition, helping them come to the following important realizations: they're not having a heart attack, a panic attack will not kill them and they are not losing their minds. Cognitive therapy is aimed at teaching people who suffer from panic attacks to replace negative, fearful thought patterns with positive ones.

Behavioral therapy, by contrast ,is intended to allow sufferers to deal with the physical symptoms of panic attacks., This is important since by and large, it is the attack itself rather than the symptoms which people dread the most - having an attack around other people can be socially awkward, to greatly understate the case. These therapies focus on reproducing panic attack symptoms in a controlled environment to demonstrate to the patient that these symptoms do not necessarily indicate that an attack is inevitable. The sufferer will also be exposed to the stimuli which tend to trigger their attacks under carefully controlled conditions, usually in a step by step process which allows them to deal with one aspect of their fears at a time. Different patients will respond more readily to behavioral therapy, with some sufferers making progress at much quicker rates than others.

Panic attack sufferers might also find the help that they need through medication. Medication is typically used to control the symptoms of panic attacks. Medications can also reduce the number of panic attacks as well as their severity. Plus, they will reduce the fear and anxiety associated with having another attack. Relaxation techniques can also help someone deal with an attack. Some relaxation techniques include breathing exercises as well as positive visualization. Also, a support group with other people who suffer from panic attacks can be helpful.

Panic attacks are something which a lot of people would rather keep hidden. However, this very common problem has a number of effective treatments and there is panic attacks help available to those who seek it out.




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