Anxiety and Panic Attacks
Panic and Anxiety Causes
The precise causes for panic attacks is largely unclear, and can vary by person. While certain factors can make a person more susceptible to panic attacks, there is not a specific medical or psychological issue causing panic attacks: The cause can sometimes be as individual as the person experiencing the panic attack.
One of the leading scientific theories today states that panic attacks may possibly be caused by an improper trigger of the body’s “fight or flight” mechanism. When this is triggered, panic attack reactions are quite typical. What is unknown is why the “fight or flight” response would be triggered at random and inappropriate times. Fear of having this random response is one reason that many who suffer from panic attacks are seized by an almost crippling fear when they think about facing more of them.
While precise causes may be unknown, it is known that some people are at an increased risk for experiencing panic attacks. Heredity appears to be a factor since panic attacks tend to run in families. The stress related with major life changes such as graduation, getting married, starting a new job, having a baby, divorce, or losing a job can sometimes tend to trigger panic attacks as well.
Certain medical conditions and medications appear to cause panic attacks as well. If you experience panic attacks, it is important to first rule out medical causes prior to beginning a treatment program.
Possible medical causes of panic attacks include: Mitral valve prolapse, hyperthyroidism, hypoglycemia, the use of stimulants, and withdrawal from medication.
If your panic attacks are caused by medical issues which can be easily controlled, your physician will usually choose to make some changes to your medication or ask you to make lifestyle changes to prevent panic attacks from happening again.
If you suffer from panic attacks which are not medically related, then they can be controlled with the use of a sound psychologically based program. Since a program like this, such as Panic Away, works by first eliminating the crippling fear of future attacks, it puts you in a position of power over your own panic attacks and gives you the tools you need to beat them. Panic Away does not use drugs, hypnosis, or any kind of dangerous techniques. The methods are simple, and can be used at any time.
Because this program works only on the specific brain areas that cause panic attacks, you are able to be in control and make certain you don’t have to deal with unexpected attacks any more.
Panic Attacks – Symptoms
Panic attack symptoms can vary widely by the person, and contrary to their name, they often involve a lot more than panic alone. Fear, illness, pain, and many other problems can come along with the feelings of panic, leaving the person suffering the panic attack helpless at times.
Some people who suffer from panic attacks have several of the following symptoms but not others, and it’s not uncommon to experience additional symptoms over time since panic attacks worsen if not treated.
According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV from the American Psychiatric Association, panic attacks will include a period of feeling intense fear or discomfort, during which at least four of the below symptoms also occur.
In a medically defined panic attack, these symptoms will peak within 10 minutes.
The Symptoms Of A Panic Attack
Some of the symptoms that define a panic attack are: Heart Palpitations, pounding heart, or accelerated heart rate, Sweating, chills, or hot flashes, feeling of smothering or being unable to breathe, sensation of choking, chest pain or discomfort, feelings of nausea, abdominal distress, feelings of faintness, dizziness, or being lightheaded, fear of losing control, fear of going insane, fear of dying, and numbness or tingling in the body.
Since the symptoms of a panic attack can frequently be completely overwhelming, these attacks can cause sufferers to be completely incapacitated at times. While treatment of panic attacks is very important, prevention of future attacks is also key.
It is completely possible to eliminate panic attacks from your life completely, even if you have had them for years. A program like Panic Away bases its techniques in the psychology of the human brain. A program like this, which gets to the root of the problem, will have a much higher rate of success than other methods of treatment.
Panic Attacks – What Are They?
Panic attacks are periods of intense anxiety, fear, and physical discomfort which strike suddenly and often unexpectedly. Panic attacks are often very different from other anxiety related problems, due to their rapid onset and sometimes completely debilitating effects.
About 3 million people in the United States alone have suffered from panic attacks, and they can strike in any age group. Some people are unaware of what is happening to them, and even fear that they are losing their mind, having a heart attack, or dying.
People who don’t know what a panic attack is, and do not realize they are experiencing one, may therefore fail to get proper treatment for their panic attacks due to lack of awareness. Panic attacks will not typically stop unless they are treated.
Panic attacks can cause a multitude of problems, and tend to get progressively worse if not treated. While symptoms vary with each person, some of the most common components of a panic attack include: Sudden onset of unexpected fear and panic, cold sweat, heart palpitations, inability to breathe, dizziness, feeling faint, and physical discomfort or pain.
Because the experience of a panic attack is so intensely miserable, it is actually common for people to fear new panic attacks so much that the attacks intensify and become more frequent. Prompt and efficient treatment of panic attacks is required if a person wants to eliminate these attacks and move on with their life.
While some patients are given prescription medication to help control their panic attacks, the medications in this group have some very unpleasant side effects of their own, including constant drowsiness, total disorientation, and exhaustion. It is often said that with these medications, the cure is nearly as bad as the disease! Fortunately, there is effective help available for panic attacks that can even eliminate them completely.
The best way to handle panic attacks is to use a proven program which is based in the more advanced cognitive techniques of modern psychology. Programs such as Panic Away help stop and treat panic attacks at their root: The important thing is to eliminate the fear of future attacks and take control of your life back. Panic Away doesn’t use any drugs or dangerous methods: The program techniques are based in many years of proven psychological research and use methods which allow you to stop fearing and start living again. The patented One Move method is something you can immediately do yourself and experience excellent results from.
Panic attacks are not a problem which will ever improve if they just have a bandage put on them: They need a real cure. Following a psychologically sound program like the one referenced above can help you achieve the cure for panic attacks.
Anxiety Disorder Must Be Treated
Anxiety disorder, especially if it results in panic attacks, needs to be treated. If a sufferer chooses to “live with” anxiety it will likely worsen over time.
The most common time for the onset of panic attacks is the adolescent and young adult years, though some older adults can experience their first panic attacks at advanced ages.
If a typical young person experiences panic attacks as a teenager and does not receive some treatment, the attacks will typically continue for years, and possibly for the entire life.
Panic attacks which are untreated will typically end up causing other problems, some of which are directly related to the intense fear of suffering more panic attacks. Many patients are so scared of the often crippling effects of panic attacks that they want to avoid any and all situations that might result in a panic attack. Since panic attacks are largely unpredictable, however, it is not truly possible to guess when they will happen.
Complications From Panic Attacks
Some of the complications that can been seen with panic attacks are: Phobias, agoraphobia (fear of going outside your home), fear of social encounters, depression, poor school or work performance, money problems, and drug or alcohol abuse.
Additionally, those who suffer from panic disorder (of which panic attacks are a symptom) have a higher risk of the development of heart disease.
If panic attacks are not treated, the consequences can be very severe. Panic attacks will not improve without treatment, and it’s important to seek help before the panic attacks render you unable to live a normal life. The Panic Away program is a very proactive way to banish panic attacks from your life because it uses proven psychological techniques that are easy to follow, quick to do, and do not require you to use dangerous medications with serious side effects.
Panic attacks are a terrible way to live, and there is no reason to suffer from them. Regardless of how many days, months, or even years you have suffered, you can -and will- put your panic attacks behind you.
Anxiety Treatment – Anxiety and Panic Attack Treatment Options
Anxiety and one of its key symptoms – panic attacks – need treatment. The most obvious reason to seek treatment for anxiety is to eliminate the often crippling impact it has on sufferers’ lives. An equally important reason is that without treatment, anxiety sufferers risk of developing even more serious anxiety-based disorders and behavioral problems. It is essential to seek an effective treatment for anxiety that will address current symptoms and prevent them worsening.
As with treatments for other conditions, it is important to find the right anxiety treatment for you – a treatment that is not only effective but one you are comfortable with. Being at ease with your anxiety treatment is of course a key element of how successful it will be.
Here are the main options for the treatment of anxiety:
Anti-anxiety medications
There are many drugs available that treat anxiety specifically or in the process of treating related conditions. For instance, many anti-depressants also have a positive impact on anxiety and panic attacks. Drugs specifically for anxiety included Ativan, taken “as needed” at the onset of a panic attack, and Valium (diazepam), used to reduce general anxiety levels.
While drug-based anxiety treatments can be helpful there are two major drawbacks. Firstly, drug treatments address the symptoms of anxiety but not the root causes of anxiety. Secondly, there is a high risk of becoming dependant on (addicted to) some commonly-prescribed anti-anxiety drugs.
Hypnosis – Hypnotherapy
Hypnosis is a completely natural and for many, highly effective option for treating anxiety. Hypnotherapy combats anxiety by inducing deep relaxation, allowing underlying causes to be explored and responses to be retrained through hypnotic suggestion.
Ironically, anxiety can be an obstacle to the effectiveness of hypnosis – sufferers find it more difficult than most to relax and “give themselves up” to the hypnotherapist. Another limitation is that while hypnosis is effective at treating generalized anxiety it is far less effective (and potentially dangerous) at treating anxiety accompanied with acute panic attacks. In these cases, reputable hypnotherapists tend to accept patients only if they are also receiving professional counseling or cognitive therapy.
Self-hypnosis exercises practiced in the safe and familiar environment of home can provide some relief from anxiety but again, does little for acute anxiety expressed as panic attacks.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
In a nutshell, cognitive therapy treats anxiety (and many other disorders) by identifying and changing dysfunctional thinking. The idea is that thoughts determine our emotions and behavior. By changing the way a person thinks about a situation, their responses to it – their emotions and behavior – will also change.
Cognitive therapy for anxiety and panic attack sufferers typically involves exercises with timetables to ensure progress but it can be a lengthy process. However, it is an anxiety treatment that safely and effectively addresses the root causes of anxiety and provides a lasting, usually life-long solution.
Panic and Anxiety Attacks – A Serious Condition
Panic / Anxiety Attacks are a serious condition and they typically grow more serious over time. Panic attacks will often leave those who suffer from them feeling as if a thousand pound weight is crushing their chest, or as if they are having a heart attack.
A person suffering a panic attack will frequently experience profound physical discomfort and even pain. Being unable to get air will typically make the lungs burn in pain, and the abdominal discomfort can be severe enough to feel like being repeatedly punched.
While the physical symptoms are painful and completely miserable, the psychological ones can be even worse. Feelings of impending doom, thinking death is imminent, or that a psychotic break is happening are all too common for those who suffer panic attacks.
Most people who suffer from panic attacks say that they would go to nearly any length to avoid having the attacks happen, but they simply do not know how to prevent them. Panic attacks may not cause major long term physical damage, but the mental and emotional damage can be quite severe. It is actually quite common for the physical effects of panic attacks to be so severe that patients will end up in hospital emergency rooms or at urgent care centers, fearing they are going into cardiac arrest, having a severe asthma attack, or having a nervous breakdown.
Some doctors actually tell panic attack patients “it’s all in your head, nothing serious” in a dismissive manner and end up making the patient feel truly hopeless. Panic attacks are a very serious medical problem and they need to be regarded as such.
Unlike other medical problems, such as an easily treated virus or illness, panic attacks require an approach that treats the problem, and prevents it from continually occurring. Panic attacks need to be not just managed, but prevented.
Panic attacks are a medical problem that can be quite serious and accelerate until they are nearly out of control, so it is important that patients and doctors alike treat them that way. Programs such as Panic Away prevent panic attacks.
Since this program’s primary aim is to retrain the brain so that it is not allowing the “fight or flight” response to occur at all the wrong times, Panic Away can not just teach you how to deal with panic attacks when they happen, but to stop them from plaguing you ever again.