How to Help Panic Attacks by donnyg16


Learn how to help panic attacks and the methods that you need to take to stop them

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									How to Help Panic Attacks
By Dr. Phil Bilas from
A sudden feeling of dread and fear is called a panic attack. Nausea,
dizziness and shortness of breath are its main characteristics. A person
who is experiencing a panic attack may feel a feeling of going crazy and
they may feel like they are dying. Panic attacks can be treated in several
ways. Normally, doctors treat panic attacks through cognitive behavior
therapy or medication.

                               The physicians may prescribe anti-anxiety
                               medications or antidepressants to the
                               patients in order to deal with panic attacks.
                               For several weeks, one should take
                               antidepressants to see their effect. During a
                               panic attack, one can take anti-anxiety
                               medications like benzodiazepines. A person
                               can get rid of the symptoms quickly as they
                               are very fast acting. However, addiction and
                               withdrawal symptoms may occur for some
people if they take anti-anxiety medicine in excess.

Cognitive behavior therapy is the most effective method to deal with panic
attacks. How patients should change their thinking behaviors or patterns
which cause panic attacks which are taught by this therapy. Exposure
therapy is another useful method to deal with panic attacks.

In this kind of treatment a safe environment is created for the patient where
he or she is encouraged to replicate the physical sensation of the panic
attack. For example, the doctor may ask the patient to shake their head
side to side, hyperventilate or may ask him/her to hold the breath. So while
dealing with the fear in a controlled setting, patients are able to deal with it
in a healthier way.

There are various reasons that can cause panic attacks among people.
Panic attacks can be caused due to major changes in a person’s life, family
history related to panic attacks or some medical conditions. Panic attacks
can also get triggered due to serious stresses in life such as loss of a job,
death in a family, or divorce.

Shortness of breath, numbness, physical detachment from the
surroundings, nausea, dizziness, sweating, and chest pain, hot or cold
flashes can be caused by panic attacks. A feeling of dying may also be
experienced if a person is suffering from a panic attack. A person suffering
from a panic attack may also think that he/she is experiencing a heart

There is no particular time for a panic attack, it can occur any time while a
person is sleeping, driving, working, shopping, sitting on a sofa or just
preparing for some presentation. The time for which a majority of panic
attacks can last is 20 to 30 minutes. However, a panic attack can last for an
hour but it happens in rare cases.

Natural methods can also be tried in the treatment of panic attacks while a
person is undergoing a treatment from the doctor. People can do some
research on the topic and can read about the disorder so that they can
learn how to deal with the problem of panic attacks. In order to deal with
anxiety and stress, some relaxation techniques can also be learned by

                                  The other two ways by which panic
                                  attacks can be treated are by avoiding
                                  smoking and avoiding caffeine. Patients
                                  can also learn to control their breath as
                                  this method can help them to avoid
                                  hyperventilating whenever there are
                                  symptoms of panic attacks. If the panic
                                  attack sufferers learn deep breathing
                                  techniques then they can remain calm
                                  instead of suffering due to the symptoms
                                  of the attack.


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