Overcoming Panic Disorder Is Not Much Of A Problem If You Get Help In Time

Anxiety disorder is the most common mental health problem faced by almost 18% of Americans at some point of their life. However, it is actually a blanket term comprising of different forms of abnormal or pathological fears and anxieties. Among them eight categories has so far been identified. Following are their basic descriptions:
1.    Panic disorder characterizes repeated and persistent attacks of disabling fear and severe anxiety about another impending attack.
2.    General anxiety disorder characterizes long lasting anxieties, which is not focused on any subject or situation.
3.    Agoraphobia stands for the fear of being in places from where escaping is difficult or impossible.
4.    Specific phobia is triggered by some patient-specific stimulus or situation
5.    Social phobia or social anxiety disorder stands for a fear of being scrutinized negatively by one’s friends and family.
6.    Obsessive-compulsive disorder stands for repetitive obsessions and compulsions.
7.    Posttraumatic disorder is caused by any traumatic experience.
8.    Separation anxiety is the fear of separation from a person or a place.

All these categories of anxiety disorder have different symptoms with the common factor being that the anxiety manifests too often, is too strong, and are out of proportion to the present situation. Most importantly, they affect the daily life of the sufferers to such an extent that it becomes difficult for them to lead the day-to-day life properly.

Of the above mentioned types of disorders, panic disorder is the most difficult to handle. Though it has physiologic similarities with generalized anxiety disorder, it is set apart by being much more intense. But the dark cloud has a broad silver lining – overcoming panic disorder is a matter of ease treatment is taken willingly and on time. Unfortunately, most of the panic disorder sufferers avoid seeing a doctor.

The first step towards overcoming panic disorder is the acceptance of the fact that there is some problem that the patient is suffering from – albeit the problem is fully curable. Also, his friends and family have to realize the same thing that medical care is required by the panic disorder patient. Instead of chiding the patient for his behavior, go into the root of his troubles and see to it that he gets medical relief.

Next in line is a consultation with a general physician to find out if the patient’s symptoms are due to a cardiac problem or not. Panic disorder symptoms are greatly similar with those of a myocardial infarction and patients often believe they are dying of a heart attack when they first get the symptoms. Since a subsequent medical check up reveals them to be physically healthy, they incorrectly earn the title of a hypochondriac.

If the physician gives the patient a clean bill of health, the next person to go to would be the psychoanalyst – but it is better to go to a psychiatrist, who may be a MD or a DO and can prescribe medicines while the former can only provide therapy.

Although there are some good medicines available to treat panic disorder or generalized anxiety disorder, the best help always comes from psychotherapy. Besides, self-help techniques also help to overcome panic disorder. Following are some techniques that every panic disorder patient needs to learn:

1.    Breathe slowly through the nose using the diaphragm or the abdomen.
2.    Try to stay in the present during the attacks, concentrating on what is happening.
3.    Learn to float with the symptoms rather than fight with them.
4.    Exercises like running on the spot for thirty seconds or running up and down stairs help in controlling the panic that is being built up inside.
5.    Try moving your head in circle or from side to side.
6.    Practice meditation to strengthen your nerves.
7.    If possible, enroll in yoga class or in a gym.
Breathe slowly through the nose using the diaphragm or the abdomen.
Try to stay in the present during the attacks, concentrating on what is happening.
Learn to float with the symptoms rather than fight with them.
Exercises like running on the spot for thirty seconds or running up and down stairs help in controlling the panic that is being built up inside.
Try moving your head in circle or from side to side.
Practice meditation to strengthen your nerves.
If possible, enroll in yoga class or in a gym.
-    Breathe slowly through the nose using the diaphragm or the abdomen.
-    Try to stay in the present during the attacks, concentrating on what is happening.
-    Learn to float with the symptoms rather than fight with them.
-    Exercises like running on the spot for thirty seconds or running up and down stairs help in controlling the panic that is being built up inside.
-    Try moving your head in circle or from side to side.
-    Practice meditation to strengthen your nerves.
-    If possible, enroll in yoga class or in a gym.

In spite of psychotherapy and all the self-help tricks such patients needs medicines at least in the initial stages. The benzodiazepines are the best medication for panic disorder. You can take them for rapid short-term relief of symptoms. They can stop the panic attack if you take them before the attack fully manifests. However, they have short span of action and are habit forming.

Hence, the other classes of drugs like the SSRIs, MAOIs, tricyclic anti depressants. These act slowly, but modify the neurotransmitter configurations suitably to control the symptoms. They need to given in low doses as some of them, like the SSRIs can cause the symptoms to become even worse. Take no medicine without the clinician’s advice. Do what your doc says.

Tagged with: Disorder • help • much • Overcoming • Panic • problem • time

Filed under: Panic Disorder

Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!