Panic Attacks & Anxiety

Panic Attacks

A panic attack is a short burst of overwhelming anxiety.It occurs without warning and quite unpredictably and tends to happen in public places such as crowded supermarkets or a cramped lift

The symptoms begin suddenly with a sense of breathing difficulty,chest pains,palpitations,feeling light-headed and dizzy,sweating,trembling and faintness, fast,shallow breathing and pins and needles

Although very unpleasant and frightening, panic attacks usually last for only a few minutes,cause no physical harm and are rarely associated with a serious physical illness

Self-Help Treatments

1. Exercise can be very helpful by diverting the mind and alleviating mental stress.It also increases blood flow to the brain.Studies have shown that jogging for 30 min three times a week is as effective as phsychotherapy in treating depression and will work just as well for you.So if you can, establish a routine of regular exercise - walking,swimming or whatever appeals.Start gradually,building up to a more energetic pace as you progress

2. Watch what you eat & drink - Avoid too much caffein & alcohol, junk food and sugar & increase your intake of wholegrain cereal,vegetables,fruit,lean meats,low-fat dairy products and fish

3. The amino acid tryptophan has been found to relieve anxiety and natural sources include turkey,chicken,fish,peas,nuts and peanut butter.Where possible you should eat them with a carbohydrate such as potatoes,past or rice,which facilitates the brain's uptake of tryptophan

4. Alternative Products - You might also find it helpful to use essential oil of clary sage (from health shops).This is both a powerful relaxant and mentally uplifting.It eases mental fatigue and depression and helps bring good sleep.Put two to three drops into a bowl of steaming water and inhale or add a little to your bath water.You could also place four to six drops on a tissue when you are going out and inhale whenever you feep particularly tense.Passion Flower and Valerain Root taken as a tea or tincture have a calming effect.Some people have also found ginger,cayenne pepper,dandelion root and Siberian ginseng to have helpful,calming properties

Instant help during a panic attack

You also need to have a way of relaxing instantly when you are in public - if you feel a panic attack coming on and you will be able to do that once you have got used to practising relaxation techniques in your own time at home. Try the following when you are out

1. Stand as comfortably and as relaxed as you can.

2. Take a deep breath to the count of five and then breathe slowly out

3. Mentally tell all your muscles to relax

4. Repeat this two or three times until you are feeling relaxed

5.Imagine yourself in a pleasant situation such as walking along a beach,or sitting in a beautiful garden

6.If you find yourself breathing rapidly and shallowly (hyperventillating) cover your mouth and nose with a small paper bag and breathe into it for a few minutes.You will soon feel much calmer

7.During an attack concentrate as hard as you can on something you can see,such as the pattern on the carpet or a picture on the wall

8. Stay calm.Try to continue with what you were doing,but take it slowly

Couselling

Panic attacks may be a symptom of a more deep-seated problem that may be helped by counselling.This could be a way of finding your own inner resources,resources you may have forgotten you possess because of your present anxiety

Anxiety

This is a state of uncertainty,worry or fear.Temporary feelings of nervousness or worry in stressful situations are natural and appropriate - however when anxiety becomes response to many ordinary situations and causes problems in coping,with everyday life it is diagnosed as abnormal

Anxiety disorder occur in a number of different forms,most common being generalized,persistent background anxiety that is difficult to control

Any type of anxiety can escalate to panic,in which there are recurrent attacks of intense anxiety and alarming physical symptoms.These attacks occur unpredictably and usually have no obvious cause

In another type of anxiety order known as phobia,severe anxiety is provoked by an irrational fear of a situation,creature or object,such as fear of enclosed spaces or fear of spiders

Generalized anxiety disorder affects about 1 in 25 people

Usually beginning in middle age

With women more commonly affected than men

And often related to the menopause and the withdrawal of the female hormone estrogen.This kind of anxiety can respond well to estrogen in the form of hormone replacement therapy (HTR) as it is one of the most powerful natural tranquillizers known

Other Causes

An increased susceptibility to anxiety disorder may be inherited or may be due to childhood experiences.e.g poor bonding between parent and child,abrupt separation of a child from a parent have been shown to play a part in some anxiety disorders

Generalized anxiety disorder may develop after a stressful life event,such as the death of a close relative.However,the anxiety frequently has no particular cause

Similarly,panic attacks often develop for no obvious reason

Symptoms

People with generalized anxiety disorder and panic attack experience both psychological and physical symptom

.However in someone with generalized anxiety disorder, psychological symptoms persist,while physical symptoms are intermittent

In panic attacks,both psychological and physical symptoms come on together suddenly and unpredictably

The Psychological symptoms of Anxiety include

1. a sense of nameless foreboding with no obvious reason or course

2. being on edge and unable to relax

3. impaired concentration

4. repetitive worrying thoughts

5. disturbed sleep and sometimes nightmares

In addition you may have symptoms of depression

Physical symptoms of the disorder which occur intermittently

Iinclude headache,abdominal cramps,sometimes with diarrhoea and vomiting,frequent urination,sweating,flushing and tremor,a feeling of something being stuck in the throat

Psychological and physical symptoms of panic attacks include

Shortness of breath,sweating,trembling and nausea,palpitations (awareness of an abnormally rapid heartbeat),dizziness and fainting,fear of choking or of imminent death ,a sense of unreality and fears about loss and sanity.Many of these symptoms can be misinterpreted as sign of a serious physical illness and this may increase your level of anxiety.Over time,fear or having a panic attack in public may lead you to avoid sutuations such as eating out in restaurants or being in crowds

Treatment & Solutions

You may be able to find your own way of reducing anxiety levels,including relaxation exercises

If you are unable to deal with or identify a specific cause for your anxiety,you should consult your doctor

It is important to see a doctor as soon as possible after the first panic attack

If you are coping with a particularly stressful period in your life or a difficult event,your doctor may prescribe a Benzodiazepine - but these drugs are usually prescribed for only a short period of time e.g 3-4 weeks,because there is a danger of dependence

You may be prescribed a beta-blocker drug to treat symptoms of anxiety

If you have symptoms of depression,you may be given antidepressant drugs,some of which are also useful in treating panic attacks,particularly the newer SSRI's (selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors)

In most cases the earlier anxiety is treated the quicker its effects can be controlled

Without treatment,anxiety disorder may develop into a life-long condition

There are also several measures you can try to help control a panic attack,such as the simple expedient of breathing into a bag

For any anxiety disorder,your doctor may suggest counselling to help you manage stress

You may also be offered cognitive therapy or behaviour therapy to help you control anxiety

A self-help support group may also be useful

*also see section on Phobias*

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info source:

Dr Mirriam Stoppard