Panic Attacks Information

Panic attacks are an irrational fear that comes in the form of an increased heart rate, an increased breathing pattern and chills or becoming sweaty. There are several other symptoms and although most are seen during a panic attack, individuals may vary as to the severity of each symptom and the symptoms themselves. They come on suddenly without warning due to an irrational fear that the individual might have. Although the triggers of individuals may be very different for each person, there are commonalities in their fear of the panic attack itself. Sufferers report that they feel like they are dying, having a heart attack or will have a heart attack due to the symptoms they feel within their bodies. The first time that a person suffers a panic attack they typically do not understand what is happening. Often times the person is helped by simply understanding exactly what a panic attack is, and how many other people suffer from it. Once a panic attack has taken place, most people turn their fear towards experiencing another attack.

Help for panic attacks can be found in a variety of ways but most people who suffer from panic attacks do not seek treatment. Therapy, medications plus relaxation techniques can help individuals to be rehabilitated. Behavioral therapy allows the person to feel some of the symptoms of a panic attack but helps the person to see that the symptom itself is nothing to fear. This part of behavioral therapy is called interoceptive exposure. For instance, the individual might be encouraged to bring on some of the sensations of a panic attack like an increased heart rate. The person then learns that although they have this feeling it does not always bring on a panic attack and they can handle it. Behavioral therapy also includes real life exposure. They may be introduced to the things they fear in order to become accustomed to them.

Relaxation techniques can be done in many different ways. The individual needs to first relax their shoulders when they feel a panic attack coming on. By being aware of the tension within the neck, the person can then learn how to relieve it. Relax the rest of the body’s muscles to reach the goal of total body relaxation. An important step in relaxation is slowing down the person’s breathing. Panic attacks usually bring on an increased heart rate and an increased breathing pattern. The person can blow out slowly through their mouth as if blowing out birthday candles in order to slow the breathing. An important thing for the person to remind themselves is that they are not going crazy and they are not going to die. It is these fears that further escalate a panic attack.

Panic attacks are a form of a panic disorder caused by anxiety. There are several ways that people show their anxiety through a panic disorder. Post traumatic stress disorder is often seen after an individual has gone through a traumatic event like the death or separation of a loved one, physical attack or abuse, an accident or witnessing a traumatic event. An individual might also be diagnosed with OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder). This type of anxiety disorder involves having unwanted thoughts or obsessions that can’t be removed from the person’s thinking. They might become obsessed with urges that provoke them to repeatedly perform ritualistic behaviors or routines to ease their anxiety.