NYC Anxiety Control - Learn How To Control Your Anxiety

Panic Disorder Treatment

A panic attack is defined as a sudden, unexpected (seems to
come out of the blue) rush of intense fear or dread. It is common for
the first panic attack to occur during stressful times in life, when
there is worry that coping with a given situation will be very difficult.

Physical symptoms of a panic attack can include shortness of
breath or smothering feelings, dizziness, feeling faint or unsteady,
racing or pounding heart, trembling or shaking, sweating, choking
sensations, nausea or abdominal distress, feelings of being
detached or of things seeming unreal, numbness or tingling
sensations, hot flashes or cold chills, chest pain or discomfort.

Fears stemming from these uncomfortable physical sensations
include going crazy, losing control, and dying. These fears will
persist within a person even when they are no longer in a state of
panic, leading to chronic worrying about additional panic attacks
and the subsequent monitoring of body sensations that may
indicate the onset of an attack, not to mention high levels of
physical tension in general. With increased awareness of bodily
sensations and more anxiety concerning vulnerability to an attack, a
person is more prone to future attacks.

Additionally contributing to the problem is avoidance. While the
initial panic attacks appear to be random, over time, people begin
to associate the experience of panic with people, places, and
situations in which attacks previously took place. This leads to the
avoidance of potential anxiety-triggers, greatly reinforcing the fear of
future panic attacks. The more people run away from their fears, the
more fearful they will become!

Panic Disorder is diagnosed when unexpected panic attacks
become very frequent and at least one of these attacks is followed
by a month or more of worrying about future attacks and/or the
meaning of the attacks (e.g., "I am going crazy"). Behavioral
changes, such as avoiding the last place in which you had an
attack are also very common. When a person's avoidance of life's
situations becomes extreme, Panic Disorder with Agoraphobia
may be the appropriate diagnosis. These diagnoses should only
be made by mental health professionals.

The treatment for Panic Disorder is focused on increasing the
tolerance for anxiety and for tension in general, preventing anxiety
from escalating into a full-blown panic attack. This requires
learning how to deal effectively with anxiety when it appears,
working on the cognitions that are fueling the panic (e.g., "I am
losing control"), and more importantly, increasing ones willingness
to approach situations where panic might occur. Treatments tend
to be short term.