Overcoming Panic Attacks

Panic attacks can take a toll on your personal and professional life, it can change the way you live your life and impact your quality of living.

If you want to overcome your panic attack successfully the first thing you need to understand is that a panic attack in itself cannot kill you or make you crazy. The sufferer often thinks that (s)he is going to lose their mind, or go crazy in front of other people, this happens to be one of the most feared symptoms of a panic attack, but in reality no one ever dies or goes crazy from a panic attack.

In technical terms panic attacks are caused by excess production of “fight or flight” chemicals such as adrenaline, whereas and going crazy(turning psychotic) is due to excess production of dopamine, both are unrelated , so it is impossible to go crazy from a panic attack.

Dying from a heart attack is another fear that panic sufferers have, but in reality a heart attack is caused by a block in the blood vessels that supply the heart whereas in a panic attack there is only an increase in heart rate in order to stimulate the body to take evasive action. So while a panic attack can increase your heart rate, it cannot cause a heart attack.

Even though the panic attack make drive you nuts you need to understand that this feeling will pass and it will pass a whole lot sooner if you learn to tell yourself during the panic attack that you are going to survive.

There are many techniques and treatments available out there today and they can help you in overcoming panic attacks, it is important for you to understand that panic attacks are treatable and many people have successfully overcome their panic attacks.

Let’s look at the different modes of treatment for overcoming panic attacks:

Therapy:

Therapy is an early option for people suffering from panic attacks. It is based on the premise that panic attacks are caused by negative interpretations of events and stress factors. The therapist works along with the patient over a period of 8-12 weeks and helps them develop an alternative and optimistic way of thinking. The therapist works with the patient to identify the problems they face in real life and also helps them solve the problem.

The most preferred forms of therapy for panic attacks are cognitive behavior therapy and exposure therapy.

Medications:

Treatment with medications is based on the premise that the panic disorders are caused by an imbalance in neurochemicals in the brain and that panic attacks should go away once there neurochemicals are adjusted and brought to balance.

The most commonly used drugs for panic attacks are antidepressants such as paroxetine and venlafaxine. Benzodiazepines are sometimes used to provide quick relief to the patient and alleviate their anxiety symptoms; however they are used only as short term medication due to the development of drug dependence in the patient and hence it is always preferred to follow the non medication treatment methods which will help you to eliminate panic disorders with ease.

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