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Got questions, concerns, suggestions or just want to say hello? Need someone
to vent to about your situation? Are you feeling very alone? Just send me an e-mail and I'll be here for you if you need someone.
I'm always available to chat or exchange ideas or to just listen!


My Panic Disorder
by Kathleen Howe
I was
diagnosed six years ago with Post traumatic stress disorder, depression and an unusual eating disorder - which I finally discovered has a name; "night eating syndrome." It took me several years of time as well as visiting almost twenty different counselors before a diagnosis could be made.
There are many counselors out there that aren't:
- qualified to treat people with true mental illness
- experienced with anxiety disorders
- practicing up-to-date techniques to treat mental illness
I honestly believe that
this is why so many people give up counseling or their treatment plan so easily. They get the feeling that the counselor or
therapist doesn't know what they're doing. They feel uneasy and don't "click" with the person they're seeing. Many doctors
associated with the therapist are very eager to prescribe medications - usually more than one at a time. At one counseling
center the doctor sent me home with four prescriptions the first visit. If I hadn't looked up the medication online I
might have been zonked out and unable to function.
Throughout my lifetime I
had self medicated with alcohol when I couldn't cope with my life. I was literally anxiety ridden, experiencing pre-panic
feelings of being overwhelmed and had quite a few phobias; I just wasn't aware that what I was experiencing was mental illness.
Many of my symptoms became somatic symptoms - physical symptoms. I suddenly got double vision one day when I was under a tremendous
amount of mental agony and stress.
I went to a medical doctor who treated my vision problem with corrective
lenses that had prisms in them to help me see. Then when I still didn't recognize that I was experiencing mental illness I
began to have pain in my wrists, forearms and elbows at night. I would wake up in extreme pain. I went to the doctor and began
treatment for carpal tunnel disease. I had this problem for so many months that my doctor finally scheduled me for surgery.
About one week before the surgery, all of my symptoms mysteriously disappeared. I was completely cured.
I was experiencing:
- abusive marriage relationships
- verbal, mental, emotional and sometimes physical abuse
- sexual manipulation
- self medicating with alcohol
- very low sense of self esteem
- being brainwashed into believing that we were broke
- total submission to my husband's rule
- fears of his cheating on me
I began to experience panic disorder symptoms. Panic disorder is also part of having PTSD. Panic attacks are a symptom of Post
traumatic stress disorder. It was through my panic attacks that I learned the most about mental illness. Since I didn't know
that the panic attacks were a sign of a mental illness, I looked and looked for a physical cause of the attacks through medical
doctors.
Many
mental illnesses can become recognized for the first time when a person is going through a significant transition
in their life. Sometimes this transition is a normal life-changing transition, such as:
- graduation from high school
- college - then graduation
from college
- moving out of parents' home
- getting married
- having children
- bankruptcy
- auto accident
- a natural disaster
- death of a close friend or family member
In my personal situation,
I had experienced many life changing transitions, traumas, crises and other dysfunctional relationships
without the benefit of understanding what was happening to me.

Experiencing traumatic events throughout childhood without
having an understanding of what was happening around me caused me to stop growing emotionally at a very young age. I believe
that because as a child, I wasn't allowed to experience emotions and feelings as they came to me - I was told that I was okay
and that if I needed a reason to be unhappy, my father would supply that for me. This meant a spanking.
So, whenever we would move - which was often or whenever my
father would be absent for a long period of time, (he was in the military) it was never explained to me so that I could understand
what was happening. I was forced to simply accept whatever change occurred. Changes can be traumatic for small children and
can lead to extreme insecurities and fears. This was never considered in my case.
There were a few traumas from accidents that happened in my
early childhood, one being my mother being cut very badly and when I entered the doorway from school, I saw my mother bleeding
profusely and I thought she was going to die. I wasn't allowed to cry or show emotion so I had to run out of the house. I
was so frightened, I didn't know what to do.
A vietnam veteran in the mid-sixties was having a flashback
in my front yard with a machine gun. He was firing it and shooting out the windows of cars and houses down the street. He
ended up in my front yard. My parents never explained what had happened or why it had happened. For over 10 years I dreamt
that that vietnam vet crawled up the drainage pipe on the side of my house, entered into the bathroom window while my father
was bathing the three of us kids, and shot us all.
Another time some kids set fire to the huge piles of leaves that were under each maple tree that lined our
street. There were huge fires and panic everywhere. Cars caught on fire and exploded. It was chaos. Again, no explanation.
No compassion for my fear was even shown by my parents. I was expected to accept whatever happened at face value.

We had a secret problem in our family. Domestic Violence.
Although we lived an upper middle class existence, I had watched my uncle kicking and punching his kids, humiliating and intimidating
them and being abusive to my aunt. My own father had a very bad temper, but my parents never fought in front of us. Their
arguing or fighting occurred after we had gone to bed. I think my father was physically abusive to my mother behind those
closed doors.
My mother now claims that he wasn't physically abusive until
my teen years. I know that there was verbal abuse and emotional abuse towards my grandmother. She took valium for years. She
was very timid and worked herself up into a social anxiety. There were very few places she could go out in public.
My father was abusive to us kids. Maybe it was mostly me, but he was abusive physically, emotionally and
verbally. In my teenage years he was borderline sexually abusive. This followed his rule that he continue to give me a bath
past the age of ten years old. I was furious with it. He was very touchy feely in an inappropriate way. Now in my father's
older years he has Altzheimer's and is again, inappropriately touchy-feely every time he is around young women.
Our family also experienced a few very traumatic car accidents. One included the whole family. Others were
mostly my mother who was having a large number of accidents during her drinking years. She had trigeminal neuralgia when I
was a teenager and she didn't want us to know about it. She was experiencing very traumatic pain in her face and there was
no known treatment for it back then.
So she began to drink alcohol to help with the pain. This caused her to have a large number of wrecks. Somehow
I ended up being the person who was notified by the police concerning her being in accidents. This was extremely traumatic.

These few instances that I have outlined in my past were only
the prime settings for my life as a teenager and young adult. I married abusive men, I experienced all types of abuse. There
were many horrible instances that all branched out from a dysfunctional childhood. When my brain had taken all it could take
without causing a drastic change in my behavior - which to that point had been a big smile and a shrug of the shoulder and
a reassuring, "I'm fine! Everything is fine!" - the panic attacks began.
I had a family history of mental illness, but had never known about it. I didn't know about the family abuse,
because I believed all of the behavior to that point was normal - until I was in my 30's. I was very naive. When my experiences
began to include losing my children to some very abusive husbands - it was then that my symptoms of mental illnesses began
to escalate. My eating disorder which I had lived with most of my life - thinking it was normal - escalated as well.
I didn't have a clue as to what had been happening to me. I tried to get help but was betrayed with every
effort. Each betrayal contributed to the intensity of my symptoms. Panic is the intensity that your life has escalated to.
Panic attacks are your mind's way of telling you - STOP! You need to make some changes. I can't survive like this!
I experienced a panic attack almost everyday for an entire year. I was hospitalized with each attack in
the emergency room. There were some attacks that I had to be admitted into the hospital for. I was tested for every physical
illness imaginable. No doctor ever suggested it could be a mental illness.
Get a clear picture of who you are and what you are experiencing. Panic disorder is your brain saying, "Hey
you! I'm on overload!" Stop the boat and get off to see what you need to change in your life.

are you experiencing these emotions & feelings?
After searching the page over just one more time, i decided to record the number of
times emotions and feelings are talked about in reference to panic disorder and panic attacks.
this is what i found:
Are you feeling badly and can't quite put your finger on what it is?
How about these feelings (above) can you identify what you're feeling?
Are you resolving those emotions and feelings inside yourself or are you burying those unresolved feelings deep inside you?

does this sound like you?
- Those experiencing panic disorder
believe that their own physical and emotional
well being is poor
- Studies have shown between 25% to 60% of those who see their doctor with concerns of having a heart attack are actually experiencing panic disorder
- Individuals with Panic Disorder may begin to develop fears about having another
panic attack
- Avoidance behaviors begin to escalate as the severity and frequency of the attacks escalate
Agoraphobia literally means the fear and avoidance of outside places. The term describes the fear of going out, having an attack and feeling that escape or help wouldn't immediately be available.

Panic disorder is characterized
by periodic attacks of anxiety or terror, which usually last 15 to 30 mins., although residual effects can persist much longer. The frequency & severity of acute
states of anxiety determine the diagnosis. During a panic attack a
person feels intense fear or discomfort with at least 4 or more of the following symptoms:
Panic disorder is a real medical illness, even though the symptoms described above aren't caused by the frightening medical conditions they may seem to indicate. Sometimes it's hard for family members to understand that panic attacks are as real & debilitating as other medical illnesses.

How common is panic disorder?
Between 3 & 6 million American adults will
have panic disorder at some time in their lives. Panic disorder
usually begins in young adulthood, but can also begin earlier or later in life.
Frequently Asked Questions about Panic Disorder
by Jim Haggerty, M.D. February 17, 2006

Panic Attacks have criteria
to follow in determining the attack is a true panic attack instead of
a physical symptom of an illness.
At least 4 of
the symptoms must match w/the symptom description list, to be designated as a "Panic Attack."
Some people experience panic attacks w/out having Panic Disorder.
The number of attacks
that take place w/Panic Disorder & the severity of the attacks are marked on an individual
basis being different w/each case.
As the number
of attacks experienced increases, the more likely it is that the individual experiencing the panic
attacks will begin to develop worry &
avoidance behavior regarding future attacks.

Is panic disorder serious?
Panic disorder
is real & potentially disabling. The distress of the panic attack itself can rob a person of his quality of life. The anticipation of the next panic attack can be just as powerful, keeping people from driving their cars
or even leaving their homes.
Frequently Asked Questions about Panic Disorder
by Jim Haggerty, M.D. February 17, 2006


what does it feel like to have
panic disorder?
This is
often how people first coming to therapy describe their bewilderment at what's happening to them.......
- "It feels like I am losing my mind...."
- "I'm totally losing touch w/reality...."
- "Can you please tell me why I am getting
these attacks, & please do something to make them go away......"
This is often complicated by their contact w/the
medical establishment.
- "I'm sorry..... you may be suffering from indigestion....
take some antacids & call your primary care physician if it continues...."
- "How many times have we seen you for these attacks? Here....
drink this cocktail......."
- "What's wrong with the woman in curtain one?...... it
sounds like she really needs to "get a grip" with her life.........."
does anyone know what the hospital
does with all the information that they chart on you when you visit the emergency room for a panic attack?

What causes panic disorder?
Some researchers feel that the mechanism in the
brain that alerts people to potential danger in the environment misfires during a panic attack.
A person having a panic attack experiences this “false alarm” & feels as
if his life is truly in jeopardy.
Frequently Asked Questions about Panic Disorder
by Jim Haggerty, M.D. February 17, 2006
Initial panic attacks may occur when people are under considerable stress, from an overload of work, for example, or from the loss of a family member or close friend. The attacks may also follow
surgery, a serious accident, illness, or childbirth. Excessive consumption of caffeine or use of cocaine or other stimulant
drugs or medicines, such as the stimulants used in treating asthma, can also trigger panic attacks.

What Is Panic Disorder? by Steve Bressert, Ph.D. February 17, 2006
More than 3 million Americans will
experience panic disorder during their lifetime & there's no typical victim. According
to the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, panic disorder can begin during
childhood or before age 25.
While it isn't clear what causes
the disorder, there is a strong suggestion that the tendency is inherited & runs in families. At one time, researchers
believed panic disorder was due primarily to psychological problems.
Experts now believe that genetic factors or changes in body chemistry, in combination with stressful circumstances or events, play a pivotal role.
According to the American Psychological
Association, each panic attack peaks within about 10 minutes. Sometimes attacks repeat
in clusters for up to an hour after the initial attack, with associated fear over the possibility of another attack. Subsequent attacks may occur days & even weeks later.
This element of fearfulness is called anticipatory anxiety. People fear having another attack while performing the same activity or being in the same situation as when a previous attack
occurred. Anticipatory anxiety can be so extreme that people turn away from the outside world for fear that another attack will be set off.
For example, if an attack occurred
while driving on the freeway, a person may fear that repeating this type of driving will cause panic
again. He will, then, limit himself to driving only on secondary roads. If panic was experienced while sleeping in
bed in the dark, a person might sleep on the couch with the light on to try to prevent another attack.
If an attack was experienced outside
while walking through a park or shopping at a mall, a fear of having a future attack in public can occur. This can lead to
complete avoidance of any outside activity, which can result in a condition called agoraphobia - the inability
to go beyond known & safe surroundings because of intense fear & anxiety.
While a great deal of research
has been conducted on panic disorder, the exact cause is unclear. Research does suggest
that panic disorder is more prevalent in women than in men.
According to the National Institute of
Mental Health (NIMH), panic disorder can also happen with other disorders. Depression & substance abuse commonly occur simultaneously with panic disorder.
About 30% of
people with panic disorder abuse alcohol & 17% abuse drugs, such as cocaine & marijuana. This drug abuse can be attributed to unsuccessful attempts by a person with panic disorder to alleviate the anguish & distress caused by his condition.
Major advances have been made
thru research funded by the NIMH to produce effective treatments to help people with panic disorder.
Treatment includes medication & a type of psychotherapy known as cognitive-behavioral therapy.
Appropriate treatment by an experienced
professional can reduce or prevent attacks in 70 to 90% of people with panic disorder. Most
people show significant progress after a few weeks of treatment. Relapses can occur, but they can often be treated effectively.



Panic Attacks: This Truth Will Set You Free - By Dr Jeannette Kavanagh
Unlike far
too many people on the Internet, I don’t claim to have discovered THE CURE
for panic attacks and other anxiety states. I do offer you a beautifully simple insight into panic which will change your reaction to it. Immediately you’ll start you on the path to calm. The insight?
“Accept your panic symptoms and ….they’ll go. Fight them and they’ll intensify.”
Look at that word
‘INTENSify’. It’s about TENSing up. Becoming worried and even more panicky about….what?
Your feelings of panic. Once you really genuinely realize
that they’re only feelings, you’ll also come to accept that feeling alone can’t harm you.
Yes, I know you don’t want them.
Yes, I know that they're frightening and uncomfortable.
But tell me this,
my sweet one, “in the past, has tensing up and worrying even more about feeling panicky helped those feelings to dissipate?” Your answer? I know it’s NO.
Just so you’re very clear: tensing up and fighting your symptoms
of panic help didn't help in the past. It will NOT HELP YOU today. Tensing up and worrying will not help you
in the future.
One person selling his e-book on
the Internet claims that that 'float with your panic' insight is his unique discovery to send panic away. The truth?
The truth is that we’ve known for decades that instead of fighting panic and tensing
up, you must do the opposite. More than 3 decades ago, the Australian General Practitioner the late Dr Claire Weekes advised
people that instead of fighting panic and tensing up, they should float into their panic and welcome it like an old friend.
From my counselling practice, I know that you know there’s nothing to fear. At a rational level. At an emotional level, you still feel overwhelmed. For many of you, the fact that you can’t explain why you feel so terrified is often the most upsetting.
fear OF fear ITSELF
Once you accept that there's no real danger, you’ll see that your real and lingering fear is the fear of the panicky feelings. If you let those inappropriate messages of fear come and do their worst, you’d learn how to send those fears packing.
So to summarize: When your pulse races,
your heart pounds, do the opposite of what you normally do. Do this:
STOP !
SMILE…
even though you mightn’t want to
B
R E A T H E… D E E P L Y…
O B S E R V E…
OBSERVE YOUR fear…. FLOATING AWAY…
MIMIC MOTHER NATURE - FLOW WITH THE HURRICANE Just
as the grass and the trees sway with the wind, rather than rigidly resist it, let your fear feelings come. Then, just observe what happens as if watching a science experiment.
You might want to practice that simple approach at home a few times. You’ll soon see
how well it works. I know you can make yourself feel great fear. Bring back those memories of your last panic episode. Right now. Recall every detail. Feel those fear symptoms and now…. just accept them.
That’s right. I’m not saying
TRY to do anything. I’m not saying try to relax. I’m not saying try to divert yourself from your fear-filled thoughts.
I am saying – do absolutely nothing. Accept your feelings.
USE OF DIVERSION
If you normally
use various tricks to divert you from the intense feelings of fear, please reconsider that tactic. It may help in the short term, but all those tactics (counting
backwards, counting bricks, etc), keep you imprisoned in what Dr R Reid Wilson calls ‘the panic cycle’. They can become habits and as difficult to break as the panic cycle itself. Please visit
Dr Wilson’s wonderful website for more information: anxieties.com
When you recognize your role in your own panic episodes, you’re
90% closer to the solution, to a life without panic attacks. Next time you feel the first
fluttering of fear and panic follow the simple steps above.
If you’ve been experiencing anxiety and panic for a while, I have
to let you know that it’s your fear of the fear-filled symptoms that feed your panic. You're a major part of
your problem. But you’re also the total solution.
IT'S ALL IN THE MIND - YOUR MIND
As I point out in my self help e-kit Calming Words,
if you feel terrified standing in that queue at the supermarket, or sitting in the middle of the row at the cinema, the feelings you feel are fine. They’re a perfect reaction to…danger. Where none exists.
Your mind sent the wrong message “danger, danger” to your body. Your body has
then had the right reaction to that danger message – it’s sent the adrenaline surging to get you out of danger.
To end with the good news: those messages can be rewritten, re-learned. That’s why I wrote Calming Words (www.calmingwords.com)!


Panic Attacks & Anxiety
By Ronald L. Hoffman, MD, CNS
Marjorie, 42, suddenly felt
"spacy," with tingling in her fingers, a crushing chest pain & a sense of imminent death. She cried out to her husband,
"Will, I can't breathe - I'm dying."
Seeing that in fact she was
unable to take in a full breath, Will rushed her to the emergency room of a nearby hospital. It certainly looked like a heart attack,
but after examining Marjorie & performing an electrocardiogram, the physician told Will, "Nothing is wrong.
The electrocardiogram is normal.
This is an anxiety attack." Will & Marjorie couldn't quite accept this. She hadn't been feeling particularly anxious about anything & the physiological symptoms had been overwhelming & terrifying. Yet, the doctor was trying to tell them that Marjorie's nervous system was out of kilter.
For some reason, she had experienced
a sudden neurological meltdown.

The kind of panic attack that Marjorie experienced seems to be fairly epidemic. Anxiety disorder
is a modern phenomenon & it may be related to the tremendous jarring stress of modern life & perhaps to some of our common but powerful dietary stresses, such as excess sugar & excess caffeine, which are often combined, as in cola beverages.
Sugar & caffeine can't,
by themselves, set off a panic attack, but what they may do is de-stabilize brain activity
so that anxiety ultimately reaches meltdown proportions. I also suspect that the epidemic of panic attacks has a lot to do with our upbringing.
Some people feel themselves
under enormous pressures to achieve & some parents load their children with heavy conditioning thru punishments & negative incentives, over-programming the control functions so that these people ultimately break down.
Marjorie's case was typical
of panic attack in that she didn't perceive her experience as panic
or anxiety. No one goes to the doctor or the hospital & says, "I suddenly felt very scared." People do feel scared, but they experience this is a result of the symptoms, not the cause.


A typical panic attack often involves strong sensations of chest pain & pressure or heart palpitations, which lead
people to think they're having a heart attack.
Panic
attack can take other forms:
- inability to concentrate
- spaciness
- a feeling of levitating
- tingling in the hands
- shortness of breath
A lot of patients come in
& tell me, "Doctor, I can't catch my breath; I just can't take in a complete breath." I have to ask myself, is there a
respiratory disease, is it asthma?
Often I do a pulmonary function
test, or use a peak flow meter & find out that the person is actually breathing normally. Other patients tell me, "Doctor,
I can't concentrate, I feel spacy all the time. Am I sick with something? Do I have mono?"
They may complain of gastrointestinal
symptoms, such as stomach pains, cramps or diarrhea. I look for viruses, parasites, food allergies or intolerances, Candida
infection, or peptic ulcers.
If someone has chest pains
or palpitations, I of course do an electrocardiogram. But the tests often come up negative, without a clear cause in the affected
organ, so I have to rule out these physical causes.
This leaves a diagnosis of
acute anxiety.
Personal Note: I suffered from Panic Disorder or panic attacks as a symptom of Post Traumatic Stress
Disorder. I believe, unlike many doctors, that the panic attack is an individual disorder as well as being symptomatic with
common symptoms. My panic attacks were extremely painful, more so than what I believe is described by "pressure in the chest."
I had extremely sharp pain in the solar
plexus that began as a nagging throbbing sensation, but would escalate quickly into the severe extreme stabbing sharp
pain that I could only describe on the pain tolerance level as "10" on the scale of 1 to 10.
This pain caused me to feel as though the
wind was knocked out of me initially. While I was able to cry, I was also thrown into habitual sobs that I could not stop.
It was almost like a hiccup.
There was no doubt that I was totally out
of control during a panic attack. Another individual difference was the length of the attack. My attacks generally lasted
hours, not minutes.
I do believe that the triggers for the attacks
were painful thoughts of experiences I had recently been through.
I wasn't able to control the panic attacks
once I was in a full blown attack. If I could catch it upon the initial triggering period, I could attempt to practice relaxation
breathing to keep the intensity from escalating to being out of control. I was forced to go to the hospital during over 300
attacks in one year for a shot of either demerol or some other drug that would relax me.
Another trigger I found myself being held hostage to was
Irritable Bowel Syndrome. In combination with the panic attacks, first I would find myself
triggered, have an instantaneous bowel movement without being able to control it and then go into the escalating pain of the
panic attack.
kathleen

I really go the limit to find
causes in the organs, because all too often doctors ascribe vague symptoms to anxiety, which is often the byproduct of a real physical problem.
On the other hand, a lot of
young to middle-aged people are walking around with powerful anxiety disorders that often
translate to physical sensations.
This may be a sign of the
times, an indicator of the increased environmental & behavioral assault on our nervous systems. This is a distinct modern
syndrome, which is real & pervasive. Even for those who haven't experienced them, the prevalence of panic attacks should remind us not to take the health of the nervous system for granted.
People often resist or deny a diagnosis of panic attack. Some people cling to their physical symptoms, convinced that
they're pointing to a heart problem or something similar. They have trouble believing that it's actually the nervous system that is causing the symptoms.
They may feel that there's
a stigma attached to the diagnosis of panic attack, as there often is to mental illness -
that it's somehow humiliating or implies cowardice, moral failure or weakness of character.
They're afraid I'm telling them that it's all in their mind.



There
are more than a dozen physical or emotional sensations that a person can experience during a panic
attack. Not everyone experiences all of them & people with panic disorder may
report different feelings when having an attack.
If
not recognized & treated, panic disorder can be devastating because it can interfere
with relationships, schoolwork, employment & normal development. It isn't uncommon for a person with panic disorder to experience an anxious feeling even between attacks. People with panic
disorder will begin to avoid situations where they fear an attack may occur or situations where help might not be available.
This happens with both adults & children with panic disorder.
For example,
a child may be reluctant to go to school or be separated from her parents. Not all children who express separation anxiety
do so because they have panic disorder & it can be very difficult to diagnose. But when
properly evaluated & treated with a combination of medication & cognitive-behavioral therapy, children with panic disorder usually respond well.
It's
recommended that a family physician or pediatrician first evaluate children & adolescents with suspected panic. If no other physical illness or condition is found as a cause for symptoms, a comprehensive evaluation
by a child and adolescent psychiatrist should be obtained.
Brain
scans and blood tests aren't effective in diagnosing panic disorder.
Questions
formulated by The Anxiety Disorders Association of America can help an individual determine whether he is experiencing
panic disorder.
These include:
- Are you troubled by repeated
& unexpected “attacks” of intense fear or discomfort for no apparent reason?
- During
such attacks, do you experience at least four of the following symptoms?
- pounding heart
- sweating
- trembling or shaking
- shortness of breath
- choking
- chest pain
- nausea or abdominal discomfort
- “jelly” legs
- dizziness
- a feeling of unreality or being detached from yourself
- fear of losing control
- going crazy
- fear of dying
- numbness or tingling sensations or chills
or hot flashes
- Do you have a fear of places
or situations where escape or getting help might be difficult, such as a crowded room or traffic jam?
- Do you have a fear of being
unable to travel without a companion?
- For at
least one month following an attack, have you felt persistent:
- concern about having another attack?
- worry about going crazy?
- need to change your behavior to accommodate the attack?
In summary, panic disorder results from having panic attacks. Panic attacks are episodes that come “out of the blue.” They peak within a few minutes & cause
feelings of terror & alarming physical symptoms.
People often are
convinced during the attack that they're dying & describe a panic attack as the most
distressing experience that they have ever had. As a natural response, people dread the next attack & often avoid places or situations where they've had panic attacks.



Personal Note: Be careful to disregard thoughtless medical staff - & yes, even doctors,
who use belittling words & attitudes when speaking about panic or anxiety attacks. It's not you. They're clueless as to the fact that mental illnesses are real
medical illnesses. There are some doctors in my past that said loud enough for me to hear, "That lady ought to get a grip
on her life. She's way out of control."
That doctor, (Butterworth
Hospital, Grand Rapids, MI) didn't know of course that I was experiencing severe panic attacks, almost
daily, since I had relinquished custody of my son in a custody fight that had included my husband's usage of parental alienation. My son had been so close to me and I was coerced into "giving up" on the third attempt by his father to get custody of him.
His reasoning being, "he didn't want to pay child support."
That doctor didn't realize
that in allowing me to overhear his words, he imposed another threatening trigger upon me, and from that day forth, anytime
I would see a doctor looking at my chart or at me with any question, I would get increasing pain in my solar plexus and I
would not be able to use relaxation breathing because I was overcome with the pain.
kathleen

But it's not really like mental
illness or delusion - it's as if your whole body were being jolted w/electricity, w/nervous impulses gone out of control in a kind of short circuit or feedback loop. It's like an involuntary discharge of the autonomic nervous system - a strictly
physiological response that isn't subject to your mental control or caused by your thinking process.
In fact, people sometimes
say that they were feeling very calm before an attack, or not thinking about anything particularly stressful or emotionally jarring. Sometimes they protest that it can't be "nerves" because they weren't really under stress that day.
But it doesn't necessarily
take a stressful incident to set off a panic attack. Rather, stress to the nervous system builds up gradually, over a long time & finally reaches a limit & spills over in a sudden overload. A similar thing can happen in some people with heart problems - a nerve network in
the heart muscle can suddenly start to generate amplified signals, in a kind of neurological feedback loop.
This can go haywire &
cause fibrillation: the heart stops beating rhythmically & just vibrates. Panic attack
is a true physiological syndrome, which people should accept & take constructive steps to correct.

In fact, there are some indications
that certain congenital conditions may predispose some people to having panic attacks. i.e.,
some people have a fairly common congenital heart condition called mitral valve prolapse.
This is a congenital anomaly
in a heart valve that causes a heart murmur & sometimes causes palpitations that can trigger panic
attack. These people's nervous systems may simply be wired in a more "hair-trigger" fashion, predisposing them to a
whole array of physiological syndromes, including panic attacks, weird chest sensations,
palpitations, irritable bowel syndrome, migraines & others.
Treating Panic Syndrome
As panic
syndrome has become more frequently diagnosed, the number of specialized hospital clinics & support groups devoted to the problem has grown. They publish informational brochures & propose conventional treatment protocols that
include drug therapy & counseling.
The first line of treatment
may be the use of a tranquilizer just to reduce the immediate overactive nervous response so that more long-term therapy can
begin. Antidepressants may be used if the physician believes that the anxiety may have its root in depression.

Unfortunately, some of the
drugs used to treat anxiety have an addictive component & this is one of the risks of conventional treatment. If judiciously used, these medications can be very helpful, but all too frequently doctors have over-prescribed them to the point of inducing dependency or true addiction.
personal note: I do believe I was addicted to demerol. While I continued to have severe panic attacks over a year's time, no doctor
was able to diagnose me with panic attacks until I saw a specialist two years from my first panic attack. All doctors that
I saw, including a specialist for gastrointestinal problems, who used endoscopy on me three times, were not able to say I
was having panic attacks instead of a physical problem. kathleen
The most popular antianxiety drugs - Xanax, Valium, Klonopin & Ativan - all have addiction potential. It's not uncommon for patients to start taking them, find that their anxiety symptoms are reduced & try to taper off only to find that the anxiety comes back.
And Prozac, an effective antidepressant, actually leads to a slightly stimulated or hyped-up condition, sometimes causing sleeplessness or anxiety. Then antianxiety drugs are often prescribed to "take the edge off," setting up the patient for multiple-drug dependency.
So in the long run, we really
need to develop a non-pharmacological approach.
personal note: The specialist that diagnosed me, finally, with panic attacks, confiscated my pain pills (percocets)
and told me to find someone (a counselor) to teach me relaxation breathing. She treated me poorly, insinuating that I was
purposely deceiving the doctor who had prescribed the pain pills to me. She let me sit and cry in front of my toddler,
I was in anticipation of the pain I was going to experience without relief. I was extremely fearful of the pain, which
at this time was extremely severe because I was pregnant. kathleen

Since drug therapy is generally only a stopgap, we have to look at cognitive & behavior strategies & especially nutritional strategies. I do recommend some kind of behavioral practice, whether it's yoga, t'ai chi, meditation, or Dr. Herbert Benson's "relaxation response."
In my own practice, I've found
nutritional therapy an important aspect of treatment. This includes limiting the intake of sugar, alcohol, caffeine & sometimes drugs & also providing the necessary vitamins & nutrients that may be undersupplied in the diet.
To treat panic syndrome, I first get my patients to cut out coffee, tea & cola drinks & start a stress reduction program. I do a glucose tolerance test to check blood sugar levels & how they vary in response to eating.
I sometimes measure blood
levels of adrenaline. Sometimes there is a tremendous outpouring of adrenaline, precisely where blood sugar levels bottom
out & this is when patients have the symptoms of panic attack.
It's normal for the body to
release stimulating hormones like adrenaline when blood sugar is low - this prevents fainting & a dangerous drop in blood
pressure.

Panic
syndrome is especially common in people who have used cocaine or other stimulants. The jarring nature of the cocaine high seems to de-stabilize the nervous system & set the stage for neurological reverberations that continue even after withdrawal
from the drug.
But even milder stimulants
can throw off the neurological balance in some individuals, especially with long-term use. The relationship isn't one of simple
cause & effect - you don't have a cup of coffee & become enraged or go into panic.
But these stimulants can put the nervous system into a constant keyed-up state of alert.
You can feel fine & enjoy
being alert & active, but over weeks or months of steady use you can suddenly reach a threshold where continued use or
an outside stimulus can make it all spill over & shift you into having psychological or neurological symptoms.
And you wouldn't necessarily
connect the symptoms with coffee because you've been drinking it for months or years.
Alan, one of my patients who
taught in a university sociology department told me he had got into a habit of drinking tea from a thermos throughout the
long hours of his workday, which involved a long commute by car, teaching several classes, planning budgets, going to meetings
& advising students on special projects.
One fall semester, he found
himself getting into frequent hysterical rages over next to nothing - at other drivers on the highway & his wife, students & colleagues. Afterward, he'd be left
shaking, hyped-up & easily set off again by another petty annoyance or frustration.
He was very disturbed by this but thought it was due to his long hours & stresses at work.

At about the same time, he
started having chronic stomach pains. Fearing an ulcer, he stopped drinking tea & cut out all
caffeine from his diet. He was amazed to discover that his mood changed completely - no more rages, no more constant impatience, no more hysterical responses.
After a month or two of cold
turkey, he found he could permit himself 2 to 3 cups of coffee or tea a day w/out serious side effects. But everyone's individual
response is different. Some find that even a single cup a day winds them up too tight.
Nutrition therapy can also play an important role in treating panic disorder. Thiamine (vitamin B1) &
magnesium are especially useful.
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine)
Dr. Derek Lonsdale, a colleague
of mine, has advanced the theory that certain people w/neurological symptoms may have unrecognized borderline vitamin B1 deficiencies.
Lonsdale worked especially w/children who had autonomic nervous system dysfunction - not specifically panic syndrome, but
a syndrome of drastic swings between lethargy & hyperexcitability & found that thiamine often helped stabilize them.
Interestingly, it's been shown
that vitamin B1 is necessary for the metabolism of sugar.
People who consume a lot of sugar & refined carbohydrates not only may deplete their vitamin B1 by using large amounts
to metabolize sugar but at the same time may not be getting enough vitamin B1 because refined foods are notoriously low in
this nutrient.

In fact, the origin in Asia
of the classic vitamin B1 deficiency disease, beriberi, was the polishing of rice - stripping the husk off brown rice to make
it into white rice. It's the husk that contains the vitamin. So if your diet contains a lot of white flour, sugar & processed
foods you may not get enough vitamin B1.
Magnesium is depleted by production
of the hormonal neurotransmitters called catecholamines, which stimulate the body into the kind of heightened readiness for activity we call the fight-or-flight
response. When there's a perceived stress or danger, the brain releases these hormones, which very quickly speed up the heart rate, increase the blood pressure &
put the body in a state of readiness for physical action.
This may have been useful
for our ancestors, who needed to fight off a saber-toothed tiger, but it's not so helpful to have our heart rate soaring when
someone cuts in front of us in high-speed traffic on the freeway.
Cortisol, another stress hormone, also depletes magnesium. Some studies have shown that certain phobic disorders like agoraphobia are associated with lower levels of magnesium & other kinds of nervous system instability may also be involved.
One clear symptom of magnesium
deficiency is hyperreflexia - a kind of heightened startle reflex marked by sensitivity to noise & exaggerated reflex
responses. In fact, one of the symptoms of magnesium overdose is the suppression of normal reflexes.
So the idea is to keep the
body supplied with the ideal levels of magnesium - though deficiencies are the real concern. In our high-stress post-industrial environment, daily stresses & shocks may literally leach away the magnesium we need to maintain our neurological equilibrium.


Sleep may be disturbed because of panic attacks that occur at night, causing the person to awaken
in a state of terror. The experience is so harrowing that some people who have nocturnal panic attacks become
afraid to go to sleep & suffer from exhaustion. Also, even if there are no nocturnal panic attacks,
sleep may be disturbed because of chronic, panic-related anxiety.



A panic attack isn't
dangerous, but it can be terrifying, because it feels 'crazy' and 'out of control.' Panic disorder is frightening because of the panic attacks associated with it, and because it often leads to other complications such
as phobias, depression, substance abuse, medical complications, even suicide. Its effects can range from mild worry or social impairment to a total
inability to face the outside world.
Phobias developed thru panic disorder
don't come from
fears of actual objects or events, but rather from fear of having another attack. This causes people to avoid certain objects or situations because they
fear that these things will trigger another attack.
Please remember that only a licensed
therapist can diagnose a panic disorder. There are certain signs you may already
be aware of.
One
study found that people sometimes see 10 or more doctors before being properly diagnosed, & that only 1 out of 4 people w/the disorder receive the treatment they need. That's why it's important to know what the symptoms are & to make sure you get the right help.
Many
people experience occasional panic attacks. If you have had 1 or 2 such attacks,
there probably isn't any reason to worry. The key symptom of panic disorder is the persistent fear of having future panic attacks.
If you suffer from repeated (4
or more) panic attacks & especially if
you've had a panic attack & are in continued fear of having another, these are signs that you should consider finding a mental health professional who specializes in panic
or anxiety disorders.



Panic attacks haunt sufferers
Those who suffer from disorder find it's not easy to control minutes of terror
By Evan Henerson Los Angeles Daily News Last Updated: May 14, 2000
"Panic" - the word sounds
like what actually happens: an accelerated heart beat, sweating, shortness of breath.
For someone w/panic disorder, an attack is worse than anything we can dream up because it's precisely that person's imagination
that goes haywire.
When she has an attack,
Liz, a former executive secretary, said she develops a feeling of hyper self-awareness. A sneeze or cough isn't just something she can brush aside & ignore. It's something she builds upon & becomes obsessed with.
"I could go from this
one little pain to the funeral," Liz said, who asked that her last name not be used. "The worrier part of you escalates all these feelings that cause your anxiety level."

Michelle Craske, a psychologist at the University of California
at Los Angeles, characterizes hypersensitivity as a fear of one's own body - a prevalent theory in panic disorder research. A person can feel a twinge, Craske said
& think cancer.
True panic sufferers often
become convinced that they're going crazy or that they're about to die. Attacks happen often, usually w/out warning &
typically peak within 10 minutes.
For panic sufferers, it's 10 minutes of terror. It's the fact
that you can't predict it that differentiates panic attacks from stage fright or other anxieties.
Researchers say the condition is probably genetic, passed directly
from parent to child & may be the result of a chemical imbalance.
"It's not some imaginary thing that people talk themselves into.
It's a pathological disorder," said John Murphy, a Beverly Hills psychiatrist who, w/his partner Dennis Munjack, conducts
clinical trials in which panic sufferers experiment w/new medications.

"As best we understand it, it's a chemical imbalance. But we don't know if it's in the brain, the blood stream or the respiratory tract."
After living with &
studying her condition for 7 years, Liz knows all the theories & medical terminology. She recognizes a panic attack when one is in progress. Still it can feel like ants are crawling up her
face.
"My son had (the condition) & that really made me sad," she said. "This is something you don't want to be passing on. This affects my husband, my children. It's scary."
According to
Pasadena psychiatrist & neurologist Stuart Shipko, 1 out of 75 people worldwide suffers from panic
disorder. Sufferers are 12 times more likely to go to hospital emergency rooms & visit doctors 700% more than the
general population.
In 1999,
panic even became pop-culturally trendy. We watched fictional mob bosses played by Robert De Niro (in the film "Analyze This") & James Gandolfini (star
of the HBO series "The Sopranos") visit analysts for treatment of panic attacks.
Celebrities such as actress Kim Basinger & talk-show-host/singer Donny Osmond disclosed that they suffered from panic& anxiety disorders.

Shipko, who runs the Panic Disorders Institute & Web site,
said the condition is hardly a new phenomenon. He doesn't believe doctors have treatment under
control.
"The amount of real help for panic disorder in this country
in no way meets the demand for it," said Shipko.
Shipko's Web site includes his theories on the link between
panic, bile flow & gastroesophageal reflux. He has also written about extreme fluctuation in the heart rates of panic
patients over a 24-hour period.
The site also includes a bulletin board where panic sufferers
can ask questions & exchange information. Shipko, who answers many of the questions personally, said he has learned much
from his "citizen scientists."
"I lead a group of grass-roots patients who were smarter than
their doctors," he said.
Self-education helped Lori,
who now helps operate Shipko's Web site from her home in Laramie, Wyo. A panic sufferer since childhood, Lori underwent years
of therapy. When her youngest son started to show symptoms of the condition, Lori began conducting research. Now she's a health
educator who is working on a book about anxiety disorders in children.

"Between the two of us, we give out a lot of information," Lori said. "Our site isn't meant to take the
place of a doctor, but it can help you understand what questions to ask your doctor. We reach a lot of people."
To keep her panic under
control, Liz - who is Murphy's patient - uses a combination of diversionary techniques and
medication. But those two approaches to panic disorder treatment - biological and
cognitive behavioral therapy - don't always coincide.
Patients
who visit Craske at UCLA's Anxiety Disorders Behavioral Program, for example, will learn all about anxiety. During the 12 to 16 sessions in the program, patients learn to gain control of their breathing and are made to confront the symptoms they experience when suffering
a panic attack.
Agoraphobics are
exposed to the situations they fear - elevators, driving or being alone - so they learn to be less afraid. Drugs aren't part of the program, although Craske might prescribe medication in her clinical practice.
Shipko said that by
the time they contact the Panic Disorders Institute, patients are looking for a concrete medical diagnosis - conclusive proof
that they're not crazy. And they want the panic attacks stopped immediately, even if means starting on medication.
"Stopping the attacks is critical," Shipko said. "If you stop the attacks, a large portion of the people will have no phobias or depression and they're largely able to go on with their lives as normal."
Doctors often prescribe
anti-depressants, benzodiazepines (such as Klonopin & Xanax) and
monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) such as phenalzine. Selective
serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as Zoloft and Paxil
are also now used to treat panic. All of the medications have associated risks and side effects and are potentially addictive.
Although he believes the basic panic attack can't be stopped by any means except
thru medication, Shipko said drugs aren't necessarily required for treatment of other related symptoms.
"It's
not all black and white, that either you can control this and pull yourself up by your bootstraps or that this is a neurological disease that must be medicated," Shipko said.
"It's not either/or, it's both."



Those experiencing repetitive & severe panic
attacks may simply be having panic attacks in the absence of the disorder. Others may begin to experience a progression of annoying & uncomfortable panic attack "side effects"
The progression commonly occurs as follows:
- Rapid heartbeat occurs shortly (a
few weeks or months) before the 1st panic attack
- The first major panic attack
occurs, the symptoms are so severe that most think they're having a heart attack & often seek emergency room evaluation
- The severity & frequency of panic
attacks can escalate very quickly
- Most people experiencing attacks visit their primary care
physician thinking they're having symptoms of a heart attack or a physical illness




by Jim Haggerty, M.D. February
17, 2006
There are two major classes of medications
that are equally effective in blocking panic attacks. These are antidepressants and benzodiazepines. Each has its advantages
and disadvantages.
The advantage of the antidepressants
is that they will treat a coexisting depression if a person has depression in addition to panic disorder. A disadvantage of
this class is that these medications take two to four weeks to begin working. In addition, one group of antidepressants (monoamine
oxidase inhibitors, MAOIs) has dietary restrictions. The MAOIs have become much less popular since new medications without
such restrictions have become available.
The advantage of the benzodiazepines
is that they work immediately and panic can be blocked within hours to days of starting the medication. A disadvantage is
that they do not treat coexisting depression. Another disadvantage is that they induce chemical dependency, requiring them
to be slowly reduced when discontinued. They pose a risk for abuse in individuals with a history of alcohol or substance abuse.
Psychotherapy for Panic Disorder
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)
is a type of psychotherapy that helps people relearn how to interpret the body’s physical signals, such as heart rate
and breathing. This type of therapy teaches people how to become tuned into physical sensations related to panic attacks that
they may never have noticed before.
The cognitive part of this therapy
teaches people to once again ignore appropriately normal signals from the body, so that they can refocus on their life. The
therapist helps people with panic disorder to change the interpretation of physical symptoms from catastrophic to realistic.
The behavioral part of this therapy reintroduces people to places that they have learned to avoid as a natural consequence
of having panic attacks. This may start with just being able to leave the house, drive the car at night or travel more than
a few miles from an emergency room.
Often a combination of medication
and psychotherapy is recommended when treating panic disorder. If thinking errors about safety or phobic avoidance of situations
continues after a person’s panic attacks have been blocked with medication, there is more work to be done. CBT is specifically
designed to address this component of panic disorder


Places,
activities or circumstances frequently avoided by persons w/Panic Disorder include the following:
- Department & Grocery Stores
- Social activities at work & home
The restricted lifestyle caused by the typical avoidance behavior, may become demoralizing & psychologically or physically depressing.
Commonly those experiencing panic
disorder will turn to alcohol or other form of self medication in an attempt to diminish the symptoms of the disorder.
Self medication greatly complicates the individual's life & ability to seek appropriate treatment.
Tragically,
1 out of every
5 people whose
disorder is left untreated, attempts to end his or her life, never realizing that there was hope & treatment available.



Some experts
say it's more common for persons who have experienced
a separation experience as a child to develop Panic Disorder.....
...while
other experts feel that Panic Disorder afflicts emotionally healthy people.
Persons w/Panic Disorder
are no more likely than the average American to have suffered from emotional problems at the time the disorder begins.
so many opinions....
what does cause panic disorder?
20 years ago Panic Disorder being poorly understood by most experts was labeled "Anxiety Neurosis." It was thought to
stem from "deeply rooted" psychological conflicts & subconscious upsetting impulses of a sexual nature.
Look at what they know now about panic disorder!
Researchers, doctors & psychologists differ on
their opinions as to the causes of Panic Disorder:
- A physical problem w/a metabolic core. It isn't an emotional problem, although
after suffering from it, emotionally healthy persons may develop depression or other problems.
- There are different theories about where in the nervous system the problem
exists.
- There's considerable evidence pointing toward a DNA abnormality controlling
the physiology of cholecystokinin, a neurotransmitter in the brainstem. (the part of the brain
that controls heartbeat, breathing & other vital functions).
- Some experts still cling to the notion that this isn't a physical disorder.
Scientific evidence clearly favors there being a physical cause of this disorder.
- It's regarded as a physical disorder much like Diabetes or Pneumonia.
- Others explain that Panic Disorder can
best be understood by looking at biological sensitivity, psychological background factors & stress & how they interact w/each other in an individual.
- Genetic? The chances of developing a panic
disorder in one's lifetime is between 2 & 5%.
- If one has a 1st degree relative w/panic, the risk is between 10 & 15% that one could develop the disorder.
- Psychodynamic theories suggest that panic disorder
is caused by the inability to solve the early childhood conflict of dependence vs. independence. (This theory is backed up by one study reporting that young adults who had experienced childhood anxiety were more likely to live w/their parents until their early to mid 20's.)
So as you can see, it's a toss up! No one really
knows for sure what the exact cause of Panic Disorder is although researchers are working
diligently to determine certain factors that are involved in developing the disorder.



What Causes Panic Disorder: Mind,
Body, or Both?
Body: There may be a genetic predisposition to anxiety disorders; some sufferers report that a family member has or had a panic
disorder or some other emotional disorder such as depression. Studies w/twins have confirmed the possibility of 'genetic inheritance' of the disorder.
Panic Disorder could also
be due to a biological malfunction, although a specific biological marker has yet to be identified.
All ethnic groups are vulnerable to panic disorder.
Mind: Stressful life events can trigger panic disorders. One association that has been noted is that of a recent
loss or separation. Some researchers liken the 'life stressor' to a thermostat; that is, when stresses lower your resistance, the underlying physical predisposition kicks in & triggers an attack.
Both: Physical
& psychological causes of panic disorder work together. Although initially attacks may
come out of the blue, eventually the sufferer may actually help bring them on by responding to physical symptoms of an attack.
i.e., if a person w/panic disorder experiences a racing heartbeat caused by drinking coffee, exercising or taking
a certain medication, they might interpret this as a symptom of an attack & because of their anxiety, actually bring on the attack.
On the other hand, coffee, exercise & certain medications sometimes do cause panic attacks. One of the most
frustrating things for the panic sufferer is never knowing how to isolate the different triggers of an attack.
That's why the right therapy for panic
disorder focuses on all aspects:
- physical
- psychological
- physiological
of the disorder.
Although the exact cause is still not clear, researchers have found that Panic
Disorder usually appears during the late teen years
or early adulthood, & there seems to be
a connection w/major life transitions that are potentially stressful:
-
Relationship problems, divorce or abuse



Alternative Approaches For Treating Panic
Attacks What You Should Know About What You Can Do
By MHM Content Manager
Introduction: What is panic? What is anxiety? And when is it a disorder? - Understanding classification
The definition of Panic Attacks is a discrete
period in which there is the sudden onset of the intense apprehension, fearfulness or terror, often associated w/feelings of impending doom. During
these attacks, symptoms such as shortness of breath, palpitations, chest pain or discomfort, choking or smothering sensations
& fear of "going crazy" or losing control are present (DSM-4).
Anxiety Disorders, which are often associated
w/Panic Attacks, are characterized by a severe increase in the level of stress or anxiety. This increase can be related to the presence of particular events or items (triggers)
& can also exist w/out being prompted by any known triggers.
Contrary to the popular misconceptions about Anxiety
Disorders today, Anxiety Disorder isn't a purely biochemical or medical disorder.
Currently there are 3 main schools of thought regarding the etiology of Anxiety Disorders:
- The Biological Theory, (includes the genetic
predisposition in panic disorder & presupposes a chemical imbalance in the brain)
- The Psychodynamic Theory (looks at childhood
issues as being the cause)
- Behavioral Theory (sees the cause as learned
behavior, including our negative thought patterns). (Fox, Barker 1997)
Anxiety Disorders include the following specific disorders:
Of this list there are 5 major Anxiety Disorders, which are:
Panic Attacks & Agoraphobia, or "Avoidant Personality Disorder" are
of the most prevalent, occurring in the context of several of these disorders.

Description of Categories & Types of Panic
Attacks
DSM-4 (Diagnostic And Statistical Manual of Mental
Disorders, fourth edition) recognizes 3 different types of Panic Attacks:
- Un-cued (spontaneous) Panic Attacks (relates to Panic Disorder).
- Cued (specific) Panic Attacks (relates to Social Anxiety Disorder, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder & Posttraumatic Stress Disorder).
- Situationally predisposed Panic Attacks (may
occur on exposure to the situational cue or trigger, but don't necessarily occur immediately after the exposure).
Panic Disorder
is defined as the recurrent experience of "un-cued" spontaneous panic attacks, which is often intensified by the resulting
fear of the next impending attack.
The fear itself of having a spontaneous panic attack often leads to Panic
Disorder. The spontaneous panic attack is generally NOT prompted by a "trigger" & is now recognized as not being associated
w/specific situations & places.
The intensity of the attack can be extremely severe; resulting in the feeling
of having a heart attack along w/intense feelings that one is going to die. Criteria for Panic
Attack is defined as a discrete period of intense fear or discomfort, in which four (or
more) of the following symptoms developed abruptly and reached a peak within 10 minutes. List of symptoms are as follows:

- Palpitations, pounding heart or accelerated heart rate
- Sweating
- Trembling or shaking
- Sensations of shortness of breath or smothering
- Feeling of choking
- Chest pain or discomfort
- Nausea or abdominal distress
- Feeling Dizzy, unsteady lightheaded or faint
- Derealization (feelings of unreality) or depersonalization (being detached from oneself)
- Fear of losing control or going crazy
- Fear of dying
- Paresthesias (numbness or tingling sensations)
- Chills or hot flushes
Attacks that have fewer than 4 symptoms are referred to as "limited symptom attacks".
Some Common Alternative Approaches: - Understanding Your Options
Currently, the majority of the mainstream medical and psychological establishment
continues to show a preference toward treating Anxiety Disorders with medication (usually psychotropic drugs), while tending to dismiss the need of investigating where the symptoms may be originating from:
- such as problems in various organs or glandular systems (thyroid, adrenal
etc)
- vitamin/mineral deficiencies (Some studies have shown certain phobic disorders like agoraphobia to be associated w/lower levels of magnesium,
(Hoffman, 1999)
- more recently researched possible activity of a part of the brain called the amygdala, which is believed to be rooted to the circuitry of brain function responses typical in panic disorder sufferers including
OCD, PTSD, Agoraphobia and other anxiety disorders
in which case symptomology would be physiological rather than strictly environmental or emotionally based.

However there are various and increasing alternative approaches commonly
being used today by consumers and professionals.
Some of those approaches
found to be effective in treating Panic Attacks are:
Perhaps the most sound and effective nutritional approach
for managing general anxiety is the practice of food combination:
- with raw unprocessed foods as the bulk of the diet
- fats which are non-hydrogenated and medium-range saturated
- proteins which are mostly free of steroids, antibiotics and other additives
- limiting the intake of sugar, alcohol and caffeine
One very effective way to determine the quality of foods and the effects
of insulin response of carbohydrates is by using the "Glycemic Index" listing of foods as a guide, now available through many
informational forums for the consumer.
One of the single most effective health promoting practices one can do is
practice deep breathing exercises as part of a daily routine. Turning one's attention to one's breath moves them naturally toward relaxation and meditation, putting one in conscious touch with one's vital, non physical essence.

Breathing techniques can vary from just breath observation, to deep controlled yogic inhalation patterns accompanied by slow rhythmical counting.
Breathing exercises can increase in productivity empowering the person with a strong grounding ability enabling them to control the onset of panic.
Oxygenation of the blood is a primary and necessary function for keeping
the lymphatic system healthy and toned and is of course an enormous benefit of regular exercise in which the heart rate is kept at an elevated level for at least 15 minutes a day.
The concept of "mindfulness" as referred to in meditative approaches involves the complete "owning" of each moment of one's experience, good, bad, painful
or terrifying.
It involves cultivating our ability to pay attention in the present moment. Beginning a mindfulness meditative process is essentially nothing more than sitting quietly with the constant attempt to chase down each wandering thought as it occurs and bring attention back to our breathing pattern.
This process builds gradually
with practice and can serve as a powerful vehicle for self-understanding and healing. Researchers have documented immediate
benefits from meditation in terms of lowered blood pressure, decreased heart and respiratory rate, increased blood flow and other measurable signs
of the relaxation response. (Weil, 1998)

Basic forms of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) techniques, while being very effective as a management tool of psychotherapy, don't
specifically emphasize the ongoing awareness of one's thought patterns in the way a mindfulness technique does, which presents the opportunity to observe our direct reactions to situational triggers.
Mindfulness techniques go one step beyond CBT in that they focus on the how and the why of reactions, rather than identifying the trigger and patterns alone and then go
on to establish a more reality based belief and response in order to counteract those reaction patterns.
One specific psychotherapeutic approach to the healing of anxiety disorders, which may be helpful, is referred to as the "renegotiation of
trauma" (Levine, Frederick 1997) in which it's believed that residual energy is trapped within the central nervous system from the experiences of early trauma and that resulting post traumatic stress symptoms are a physiological response.
The therapy involves allowing that trapped
energy created by the "immobility response" (or paralysis of fight or flight)
to be released, while avoiding the cathartic reliving of the immobility which can be re-traumatizing.

Cranial Sacral Therapy focuses on gentle manipulation
of the cerebro-spinal fluid, which is produced and absorbed by the body on a regular rhythmical basis and may be considered
similar in concept to the aforementioned approach of releasing trapped energy from trauma, but approached through physical touch.
More commonly though Cranial Sacral therapy involves facilitating a balanced modality between the sympathetic and parasympathetic
nervous system, by gently reestablishing proper motility of the adrenals, glands which produce the adrenalin involved in the
fight or flight response of panic.
Biofeedback is an approach used for increasing
the person's own ability to better control their biological response to stimuli. It uses high-tech electronic equipment, monitoring skin temperature, electrical conductivity
of the skin, muscle tension, heart rate and brain wave activity, by attaching wired sensors to the patient and then by giving
auditory and/or visual signals to their body, the patient learns to control what are usually subconscious responses.
Biofeedback is used in relaxation therapy, is found to be effective for helping with anxiety and is most successful when combined with various other approaches.
All of these approaches are most effective
when used in combination with another. No one approach can heal any anxiety disorder, as
the root cause of the disorder is usually a complex mix of circumstances requiring a variety of healing aids.


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additional resources....
Who Has Panic Disorder?
In the United States, 1.6%
of the adult population, or more than 3 million people, will have panic disorder at some
time in their lives. The disorder typically begins in young adulthood, but older people & children can be affected.
Women are affected twice as frequently as men. While people of all races & social classes can have panic disorder, there appear to be cultural differences in how individual symptoms are expressed.
The phone rings early in the
morning & you hear the voice of your friend on the other end. “Oh my gosh,” you think, “Dinner!” Your friend asks where you were last night. She waited at the restaurant for almost 2 hours, but you
never showed up; you weren't home either because she called your house.
“Where were you?”
your friend demands. “In the emergency room with chest pain,” you reply. Suddenly, her tone changes to one of concern. She wants to know what's going on.
How do you tell your friend
that last night you were sure you were having a heart attack? 12 hours ago, you were convinced that you were living your last night on earth.
However, after hours of tests
& monitors, the doctors found nothing. “You have panic disorder. There's nothing
physically wrong with you,” the doctor said.
He then gave you
the phone number for a mental-health referral center.
You read the pamphlet you
were given at the hospital & it sounded all too familiar. You have panic disorder, a
psychiatric illness that comes out of nowhere & occasionally makes you afraid of your own shadow. How can you explain this to your friends?
You & your friends need to know that panic disorder is fairly common, affecting anywhere between 1.5% to 3.5% of
the population at sometime during their life. It's a treatable illness. With medication or psychotherapy - or a combination of both-people who suffer from panic attacks can lead normal & fulfilling
lives.
Understand how to read the symptoms
Living with panic disorder is like having a home with an automatic-security system. The first time the burglar alarm goes
off, you react as if there is a real threat. You imagine that someone is breaking into your home. You get nervous & dial the police-a completely appropriate reaction.
Then, you learn it was a false
alarm-a problem with the system or its overly sensitive detectors. The next time the alarm goes off, you react again, imagining
this time that it isn't a false alarm but a real intruder. You never completely get used to it going off, although you begin
to appreciate that it probably is a false alarm. At least you're not so quick to summon the police.
The symptoms of a panic attack are real & measurable - like the bells, sirens & whistles of the burglar alarm - but in
both cases they're misleading. You must learn to adjust to the meaning of the symptoms. A racing heartbeat & hyperventilation
don't mean that you're having a heart attack.
Racing thoughts & feeling as if you're disconnected from your body don't mean that you're going crazy. They're signs that something is amiss & knowing that can be the first
step in getting control of the situation.
Help your friends know the symptoms
Tell your friends about the symptoms,
so that if they're with you when you have an attack, they can recognize what's going on & offer you help. Symptoms of a panic attack, as described in
the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic & Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Volume Four (DSM-IV),
include:
- chest pounding or increased heart rate
- sweating
- tremors or the shakes
- feeling short of breath or as if you're being smothered
- choking sensation
- chest pain or discomfort
- nausea or abdominal discomfort
- feeling dizzy, light-headed or faint
- feeling as if you or the world is unreal
- fear of going crazy or losing control of yourself
- fear of dying
- tingling feeling in extremities
- chills or hot flashes
Guide your friends in appropriate action
By being aware of these symptoms, your friends can be educated about what a panic attack is. Tell
them not to rush you to the hospital unless you describe symptoms that are different from your typical panic attack. Tell them that being reassuring during the experience generally is enough.
Here are some other pointers you might want to give:
- Don’t assume what I
need, ask me.
- Let me pace my recovery,
but encourage me to get help.
- Find something good in my
achievements. When I overcome an obstacle (such as driving on the highway), make a big deal
of it.
- Don’t let me avoid life. Help me take the baby steps to live life to its fullest.
- Don’t give up your
own life to protect me. We only will grow to resent each other.
- Don’t panic when I
panic. I need you to be confident that I'll get thru this.
- Don’t
tell me to “Calm down” or “Get a grip on yourself.” If I could do that, don’t you think I would?
Panic disorder is a difficult
problem for everyone involved. But, with care, patience & some help from your friends, you can overcome it.

About 3/4 of Panic Disorder patients are women
Panic Disorder usually
begins when people are between 20-30 years old. It begins less often in teenagers or persons in their 40's. It's uncommon for the disorder to appear in the elderly for the first time.
People w/panic disorder
have feelings of terror that strike suddenly & repeatedly w/ no warning.
They can't predict when an attack will occur &
many develop intense anxiety between episodes, worrying when & where
the next one will strike.
Sound familiar?
Studies are reporting between 20%
& 75% of people w/panic disorder also have major depression.
Other studies reported that 30% of people w/panic disorder sometimes harbor suicidal thoughts.
18%
of those committed suicide. More than one study found
a link between suicide attempts & panic attacks, even in
teens.
Pregnant Women W/Depressive Disorder, Panic Disorder or Post-Traumatic Stress Often Not Diagnosed During Prenatal Exams
In this study, Megan V. Smith, MPH, Yale School of Medicine,
New Haven, Connecticut, US & colleagues evaluated the rates of & detection of major & minor depressive disorder, panic disorder & post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among low-income women receiving prenatal care at public clinics in the US.
They interviewed 387 pregnant women before a routine prenatal exam. Patients filled
out the Primary Care Evaluation of Mental Disorders Brief Patient Health Questionnaire, which measures major & minor depressive disorder & panic disorder. The PTSD module of the MINI International Neuropsychiatric Interview was added to assess PTSD.
After their prenatal
exam, patients were asked whether they had discussed mental health w/their practitioner & if they'd been referred for
mental health treatment. Patient records outside of the prenatal visit were also reviewed for mental health diagnoses &
treatments.
23% of women screened positive for depressive disorder, 2% screened positive for panic disorder & 3% screened positive
for PTSD. Of those who screened positive for depressive disorder, 2% were diagnosed by their practitioners during the prenatal visit.
Detection was higher
for panic disorder (11%), while none of the women w/PTSD were diagnosed. Outside of the prenatal visit, 27% of women w/depressive disorder, 50% of those with PTSD & 100% of those w/panic disorder had been previously diagnosed by other healthcare
providers.
"In our cohort, all but a minority of symptomatic depressed women remained undiagnosed & untreated, despite the fact that women were seen an average of 6 times in as many months
by a health care professional." the authors conclude.
"Symptoms of depression during pregnancy may not raise clinicians' or patients' concerns given that several of these experiences - for example, disturbances in appetite, sleep & energy levels - are normative for many pregnant women. Thus, it's critical that efforts be made to address these disorders
& offer assistance to these less advantaged women," they write.
Psychiatr Serv 2004;55:407-414. "Screening for and Detection of Depression, Panic Disorder, and PTSD in Public-Sector Obstetric Clinics"
Panic Disorder's Passage From
Mother To Daughter Investigated In Stanford Study
STANFORD, Calif. – Most mothers hope to pass down to their daughters things such as musical ability, intelligence or family
heirlooms – anything but medical problems.
Panic disorder
is one such problem easily handed down from mother to daughter, however. A Stanford University School of Medicine study is
aiming to identify ways to prevent this unfortunate inheritance.
The study, led by Kimberly
Wilson, PhD, a fellow in the Dept. of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, will examine physical symptoms & thought patterns of daughters whose mothers have panic disorder. The work is the first in a
line of investigations that could help determine who is most likely to develop panic disorder
& where prevention programs might intervene.
“We’re most
concerned with what’s happening in these girls’ learning environment that makes them more vulnerable to developing panic disorder,” said Wilson, who is
seeking mothers & their teenage daughters to volunteer for her study.
“We want to understand how mothers w/panic disorder can help minimize the risk of anxiety developing in their daughters.”
Panic disorder is
marked by unpredictable attacks of anxiety accompanied by physical symptoms such as heart palpitations, shortness of breath, dizziness & trembling.
“Someone in the
midst of an attack often fears she’s dying or thinks she’s going crazy or losing control,” said Wilson. People w/the disorder, which affects 5% of the population, often become afraid of their physical responses & go out of their way to block them.
“What’s most scary to a patient is the panic attack itself, so people start avoiding situations that they associate with their attacks,” said Wilson, adding that panic sufferers also have an increased
tendency to interpret situations, even seemingly benign ones, as threatening. “They might stop driving, going to a crowded theater or even attending church.”
The exact cause of panic disorder is unknown, but there's a strong family component; Wilson said the prevalence of the disorder
among individuals who have a family member w/the disorder is more than 5 times greater than
among individuals w/no family history.
Researchers believe some aspects of the disorder are learned. For instance if a mother demonstrates fearful behavior in certain situations, her daughter may eventually exhibit the behavior.
Although twice as many women
as men are afflicted with panic disorder, little research has targeted mothers & daughters.
Wilson said her study will focus on at-risk girls at a “critial timepoint” – after they’ve been exposed
to their mother’s illness but before they’ve developed the disorder themselves & identify factors that
make them more likely to develop panic disorder.
The study will involve
30 mothers – 15 with panic disorder, 15 without & their teenage daughters. During
the study, Wilson will evaluate the girls’ sensitivity to panic symptoms & response to situations they perceive as threatening. She will compare the thought patterns of the at-risk daughters with the girls who have no family history of panic disorder.
Wilson is recruiting women
with & without panic disorder along w/ heir daughters, ages 12 to 17. The daughters
must not have been diagnosed with panic disorder.
Volunteers will be paid $50 for their participation in two two-hour visits, which will include interviews, questionnaires &
a computer test. Interested volunteers should call (650) 723-6308 or e-mail kawilson@stanford.edu.
Wilson’s collaborator on the study is Chris Hayward, MD,
associate professor of psychiatry & behavioral sciences.
Editor's Note: The original news release
can be found here.
co-existing disorders
At least 50% of those experiencing Panic Disorder have one of the following
co-existing disorders as well:
Between
50% & 60% of people w/panic disorder will experience major depression at some point in their lives. Depression doesn't necessarily develop at the same time as the panic disorder.
It might occur months or years either before or after the onset of panic
disorder.
Approximately 1/2 of those w/Panic Disorder develop such severe avoidance behavior that a separate description is offered as, "Panic Disorder w/Agoraphobia."
Unfortunately most primary
care physicians are geared towards looking for a "physical" explanation for whatever
is bothering you.
- It's
up to you to determine whether or not you feel you're concerned about your mental health
- Panic Disorder is extremely disruptive to life & it's important to those
experiencing it, to get an evaluation from a mental health professional & the proper treatment for the disorder
- Your life could be spiraling out of control because of what is really Panic Disorder.
For those that may have believed that something is physically wrong with them, not considering their symptoms may have evolved from a mental disorder, they
may have had to seek more than one opinion to make a determination.
This continual search for a
true physical basis for the horrible symptoms of what is really Panic Disorder may cause
the appearance of "doctor shopping," which usually causes others to regard the victim as a hypochondriac.
Be prepared to
feel secure in your decisions. After seeking a 2nd or 3rd opinion it's really time to seek the advice of a mental health professional if you're not satisfied with the conclusions from the medical community you have consulted with.

Brain & Biochemical Abnormalities.
One line of evidence suggests that panic disorder may be associated
w/increased activity in the hippocampus & locus coeruleus, portions of the brain that monitor external & internal
stimuli & control the brain's responses to them.
Also, it's been shown that panic disorder patients have increased activity in a portion of the nervous system called the adrenergic system, which regulates such physiological functions as heart rate & body
temperature. However, it isn't clear whether these increases reflect the anxiety symptoms
or whether they cause them.
Another group of studies suggests that people w/panic disorder may have abnormalities in their benzodiazepine receptors, brain components
that react w/anxiety-reducing substances within the brain.
In conducting their research, scientists can use several different
techniques to provoke panic attacks in people who have panic
disorder. The best known method is intravenous administration of sodium lactate,
the same chemical that normally builds up in the muscles during heavy exercise.
Other substances that can trigger panic
attacks in susceptible people include caffeine (generally 5 or more cups of coffee are required).
Hyperventilation & breathing air w/a higher-than-usual level of carbon dioxide can also trigger panic
attacks in people w/panic disorder.
Because these provocations generally don't trigger panic attacks in people who don't have panic disorder, scientists have inferred
that individuals who have panic disorder are biologically different in some way from people
who don't.
However, it's also true that when the people prone to panic attacks are told in advance about the sensations these provocations will cause, they're
much less likely to panic. This suggests that there's a strong psychological component, as well as a biological one, to panic disorder.
NIMH-supported investigators are examining specific parts of
the brain & central nervous system to learn which ones play a role in panic disorder
& how they may interact to give rise to this condition.
Other studies funded by the Institute are under way to determine
what happens during "provoked" panic attacks & to investigate the role of breathing
irregularities in anxiety & panic attacks.
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January 2001 There are significant associations between the presence of panic disorder & major depression in parents & patterns of dysfunction in their children, according to a study in the January 2001 American
Journal of Psychiatry, a journal of the American Psychiatric Association (APA).
Genetic Disorder Links Panic &
Bladder Problems
Reuters Health Friday,
March 12, 2004 NEW YORK (Reuters
Health) The seemingly unrelated conditions of panic disorder & the
bladder disorder interstitial cystitis may be components of a hitherto unidentified genetic syndrome, new findings indicate.
Emotion-Regulating Protein
Lacking in Panic Disorder
Tuesday, January 20, 2004 NIH
News
Three brain areas of panic disorder patients are lacking in a key component of a chemical messenger system that regulates emotion, researchers at the NIHs National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) have discovered. Brain scans revealed that a type of
serotonin receptor is reduced by nearly a 1/3 in 3 structures straddling the center of the brain.
Without treatment, panic disorder
can have very serious consequences.
The immediate danger with panic disorder
is that it can often lead to a phobia. That's because once you've suffered a panic attack, you may start to avoid situations like the one you were in when the attack occurred.
Many people w/panic disorder
show 'situational avoidance' associated with their panic attacks. i.e., you might have an
attack while driving and start to avoid driving until you develop an actual phobia towards it.
In worst case scenarios, people with panic
disorder develop agoraphobia, fear of going outdoors , because they believe that by staying inside, they can avoid all situations that might provoke an attack, or where they might not be able to get help.
The fear of an attack is so debilitating, they prefer to spend their lives locked inside their homes.
Even if you don't develop these extreme phobias, your quality of life can be severely damaged by untreated panic disorder. A recent study
showed that people who suffer from panic disorder:
- are more prone to alcohol and other drug abuse
- have greater risk of attempting suicide
- spend more time in hospital emergency rooms
- spend less time on hobbies, sports and other satisfying activities
- tend to be financially dependent on others
- report feeling emotionally and physically less healthy than
non-sufferers.
- are afraid of driving more than a few miles away from home
Panic disorders can also have
economic effects. For example, a recent study cited the case of a woman who gave up a $40,000 a year job that required travel
for one close to home that only paid $14,000 a year.
Other sufferers have reported losing their jobs and having to
rely on public assistance or family members.
None of this needs to happen. Panic disorder can be treated successfully and sufferers can go on to lead full and satisfying lives.
read about my experience w/panic attacks: click here to read "my personal inventory!"
about my own situations w/panic:
it didn't matter what socio-economic lifetsyle
i was living...
it didn't matter where i lived or who i lived with....
i was damaged, emotionally. finally.... from so many times
of being emotionally abused by every person in my life, i just gave in to it...
my whole sense of being was broken...
those around me were of two categories:
between the two - finally my defense mechanisms just wore away, broke down & panic set in. there seemed no way out. i was devastated. i isolated myself - in my own lake of fear and pain.
i just wanted relief from the hurt.
"Early
detection and thoughtful selection of appropriate first-line interventions can help these patients, who often have been impaired
for years, regain their confidence and ability to function in society."
perhaps facing your fear...
learning enough about it that you can put it in front of you
and learn how to:
Help for the Family
When
one member of a family has panic disorder, the entire family is affected by the condition.
Family members may be frustrated in their attempts to help the affected member cope with the disorder, overburdened by taking on additional responsibilities and socially isolated.
Family
members must encourage the person with panic disorder to seek the help of a qualified mental health professional. Also, it's often helpful for family members to attend an occasional treatment or self-help session or seek the guidance
of the therapist in dealing with their feelings about the disorder.
Certain
strategies, such as encouraging the person with panic disorder to go at least partway toward a place or situation that is feared, can be helpful. The director of one anxiety disorder clinic has developed a list of suggestions
for family members who want to help loved ones cope with an anxiety disorder. By their skilled and caring efforts to help, family members can aid the person with panic disorder in making a recovery.
Also,
it may be valuable for family members to join or form a support group to share information and offer mutual encouragement.
What to Do if a Family Member Has an Anxiety
Disorder
- Don't make assumptions about what the affected person needs;
ask them.
- Be predictable; don't surprise them.
- Let the person with the disorder set the pace for recovery.
- Find something positive in every experience. If the affected
person is only able to go partway to a particular goal, such as a movie theater or party, consider that an achievement rather
than a failure.
- Don't enable avoidance: negotiate with the person with panic
disorder to take one step forward when he or she wants to avoid something.
- Don't sacrifice your own life and build resentments.
- Don't panic when the person with the disorder panics.
- Remember that it's alright to be anxious yourself; it's natural
for you to be concerned and even worried about the person with panic disorder.
- Be patient and accepting, but don't settle for the affected
person being permanently disabled.
- Say: "You can do it no matter how you feel. I am proud of you.
Tell me what you need now. Breathe slow and low. Stay in the present. It's not the place that's bothering you, it's the thought.
I know that what you are feeling is painful, but it's not dangerous. You are courageous."
Don't say: "Relax. Calm down. Don't
be anxious. Let's see if you can do this (i.e., setting up a test for the affected person). You can fight this. What should
we do next? Don't be ridiculous. You have to stay. Don't be a coward."
(Adapted from Sally Winston, Psy.D., The Anxiety and Stress Disorders Institute of Maryland, Towson, MD, 1992.)
How Can Panic Disorder
Be Treated?
Most
specialists agree that a combination of cognitive and behavioral therapies are the best treatment for panic disorder. Medication might also be appropriate in some cases to alleviate the symptoms of the disorder.
The first part
of therapy is usually an informational/educational period of time. People are usually helped by simply understanding exactly what panic disorder is and realizing how many others suffer from it.
Many people who
suffer from panic disorder are worried that their panic attacks mean they're 'going crazy' or that the panic might induce a
heart attack. 'Cognitive restructuring' (changing one's way of thinking) helps people replace those thoughts w/more realistic, positive ways of viewing the attacks.
Cognitive therapy can help the patient identify possible triggers
for the attacks. The trigger in an individual case could be something like a
thought, a situation, or something as subtle as a slight change in heartbeat.
Once the patient understands that the panic attack is separate and independent of the trigger, that trigger begins to
lose some of its power to induce an attack.
The
behavioral components of the therapy can consist of what one group of clinicians has termed 'interoceptive
exposure.' This is similar to the systematic desensitization
used to cure phobias, but what it focuses on is exposure to he actual physical sensations that someone experiences during a panic attack.
People
w/panic disorder are more
afraid of the actual attack than they are of specific objects or events; for
instance, their 'fear of flying' is not that the planes will crash but that they will have a panic attack in a place, like
a plane, where they can't get to help.
Others won't drink coffee or go to an overheated
room because they're afraid that these might trigger the physical symptoms of a panic attack.
Interoceptive exposure can help them go thru the symptoms of an attack (elevated heart rate, hot flashes, sweating, etc.)
in a controlled setting, teaching that these symptoms need not develop into a full-blown attack.
Behavioral therapy is also used to deal w/the situational avoidance associated w/panic attacks. One very effective treatment for phobias is in vivo exposure, which is in its simplest terms means breaking a fearful situation down into small manageable steps & practicing them one at a time until the most difficult level is mastered.
Relaxation techniques
can further help someone 'flow thru' an attack. These techniques include breathing retraining and positive visualization.
Some experts have found that people with panic disorder tend to have slightly higher than average breathing rates, learning to slow this can help someone
deal with a panic attack and can also prevent future attacks.
This is where relaxation merges with mental illness, in lifestyle changing. Practicing useful relaxation methods can help to manage many of the symptoms of anxiety disorders.
Medications may also be needed. Anti-anxiety medications may be prescribed, as well as antidepressants and sometimes even heart medications (such as beta blockers) that are used to control irregular heartbeats.
Finally, support groups that allow sharing with others who suffer from panic disorder can be very helpful to some
people. It can't take the place of therapy, but it can be a useful addition to it. If you suffer from panic disorder, these therapies can help you. You can't do them on your own; all of these treatments must be outlined and prescribed by a psychologist or
psychiatrist.
Strategies for Coping with Panic
When you find yourself thinking about the fear, change your "what if" thinking. Focus on and carry out a simple and manageable task such as counting backward from from
100 by 3's or snapping a rubber band on your wrist.
Wait and give it time to pass without running away from it.
(Courtesy Jerilyn Ross, M.A., L.I.C.S.W.,
The Ross Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders, Inc., Washington, DC. Adapted from Mathews et al., 1981.)
my theory about my own panic:
in each case, including the initial panic episodes
i developed as a 16 year old, i knew what my panic attacks were based upon fears that were constantly present in the back of my mind.
i
just couldn't cope or deal w/the crisis situation that i was in.
i didn't know how to identify the emotions & feelings that i was experiencing. because of this i didn't know how to cope
or deal w/those emotions. i continued to re-live the initial experiences that brought the painful emotions to the surface.
do
you know what your crisis experiences have been in your life? it took me a great deal of time & thought to accumulate information & understanding of the crises i had experienced. thru my attempts to sort things out i would begin again & again to
be overwhelmed with the panic, anxiety and the attacks.
this may be a helpful resource for you to find help or support
where you live! i checked it out & it seems to be a useful tool!
NAMI-C.A.R.E: Consumers Advocating Recovery through Empowerment (click the underlined title link to go there now!)
What is NAMI-C.A.R.E.?
- NAMI-C.A.R.E. is a peer-based, mutual support group program for individuals facing the challenges of recovering
from any serious mental illness.
- Led by consumers, for consumers, NAMI-C.A.R.E. employs guidelines
& principles of support designed to empower its members.
- NAMI-C.A.R.E. is not illness-specific & welcomes persons
w/all psychiatric diagnoses.
- A support group model that focuses on allowing all participants
to share their experiences & learn from each other in a safe & confidential environment.
How do I join a group?
- Find your local NAMI affiliate or state organization & ask if they
have a NAMI-C.A.R.E. group.
- Contact Maggie Scheie-Lurie (this is an e-mail link) at NAMI's
national office.
How can I start a group?
- NAMI consumer members may contact Maggie Scheie-Lurie to receive a NAMI-C.A.R.E. Startup Kit & Facilitators' Manual
or enquire about facilitator training.
Find Out More
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