Panic Attacks Help
Symptoms like difficulty breathing, dizziness, pounding heart and stomach problems are all familiar to those who suffer from panic attacks. Something that is not shared, however, is the irrational fear that leads to the attack. This is very private.
The person suffering from panic attacks is worried about something which they know deep down is irrational but that doesn’t stop them from fearing it. They may be ashamed of how much they have let this fear influence their lives and how far they have let it go so they may hesitate to seek help. But help is available.
According to most specialists dealing with panic disorder, a combination of cognitive and behavioral therapies gives the best results. In many instances, people can be helped simply by understanding what a panic attack is. This can result in a change of thinking, a cognitive restructuring that helps the person understand that they are not going mad, they are not going to die and they are not having a heart attack. Replacing negative thoughts with positive, realistic ones is the key to the success of cognitive therapies.
Many panic attack sufferers are not frightened of the situation or thing that triggers the attack; rather they are afraid of the attack itself. For example, they aren’t frightened of the party-goers at a party but they are fearful of having a panic attack at the party.
A behavioral therapy approach to the problem of panic disorder is to expose sufferers to the symptoms of an attack such as pounding heart rates, breathing difficulties and hot flushes in a controlled setting. By controlling the situation, the symptoms do not necessarily result in a full blown panic attack. In this way, fear is lessened because of an increase in control.
Control is learnt by facing the situation in a series of small steps. Take the party as an example. Perhaps the first step could be getting ready to go to the party. This allows the person to deal with the emotions of getting ready. The next step is taken when the person is comfortable with the first step and learns not to think about the consequences of their fear; in this case, maybe it is getting ready and then getting in the car. The third step may be actually arriving at the party and so on.
While one person may need to arrive at the party ten times before they are comfortable going onto the next step of walking through the door, another may be comfortable proceeding at a faster pace. What is important is that by going through each of these stages in their own time, they get through the event and in that case, they can get through the next one too.
Medication also has a part to play in the treatment of panic attacks. While controlling the symptoms is the more common reason for taking medication, it can also lessen the severity and reduce the number of attacks.
Two further aspects of treatment involve learning relaxation techniques and the use of support groups. Relaxation techniques such as breathing exercises and positive visualization can help sufferers to deal with an attack. Support groups are an invaluable resource as sufferers realize they are not alone and the experience of others may help increase self confidence
