Overcome Panic Attacks

To  overcome panic attacks with therapy or medication is a serious challenge, one faced by a growing number of people today. If you are one of the unlucky people to suffer from anxiety and panic attacks, my hope is that this article will help you make an informed decision about the best way for you as an individual to start overcoming panic attacks.

Panic attacks are usually an uncontrollable condition in which a person feels panic in response to what should be a normal or non-threatening situation. It’s when these panic or anxiety attacks occur more than four or five times a month, that you may be looking at a possible panic disorder and may need help to overcome panic attacks.

It’s important to note that if you disregard the symptoms of early stages of panic attacks and leave them untreated, it can lead to a more serious disorder that can have a significantly negative effect on your work, studies, relationships and all other aspects of your life. For this reason, most doctors recommend starting treatment to help overcome panic attacks as early as possible through natural methods, medication or therapy.

What treatment options are there to help overcome panic attacks?

Panic attacks can occur because of a variety of reasons, including;

• hormonal or chemical imbalances
• alcohol or drug use
• stress
• traumatic incidents

As part of the process of overcoming panic attacks, doctors will first ask you about your experiences and their accompanying symptoms, such as rapid heartbeat, numbness, trembling, chest pains, cold or hot flashes, sweating, nausea, difficulty of breathing or disorientation.

The majority of panic attack episodes last around ten minutes. During a panic attack, both emotional and physical symptoms increase drastically and subside gradually. Since a person tends to feel anxious immediately after a panic attack, doctors suggest a few simple ways of helping you recover from panic attacks. These simple and traditional methods of handling panic, such as steady breathing techniques, help to calm you down and overcome the panic attacks.

When natural methods to overcome panic attacks aren’t effective, your other options are medication and cognitive behavioral therapy. Most experts agree that both these solutions work effectively to stop panic episodes from occurring, and the choice of treatment will probably depend on the patient’s preference.

While medication, such as anti-anxiety and anti-depressants, takes effect almost instantly, it yields greater adverse side effects compared to cognitive behavioral therapy. When you opt for therapy, you will learn how to behave and think appropriately based on the situation or circumstance that you’re afraid of. Cognitive therapy also includes family and peer support in helping the patient overcome fear.

While both treatment options provide effective results, many experts recommend combining both cognitive therapy and medication to ensure that the process used to overcome panic attacks is long-term and as permanent as possible.