Treatments for panic attack: The Best Treatment To Help Me Fight My Panic Attacks

Posted on 26 March 2010 by danielle

Panic attack is one unpredictable condition. An individual who is aware of his or her condition does not necessarily know when an attack is coming. I myself have been a victim of this surprising condition. Hence, it is very important for me, as a sufferer, to be geared with the best treatment to help me fight my panic attacks.

I have been panic attack free for some years now. However, I still have some of the tools I need that would be an instant relief for my attack. I never leave the house without a brown paper bag. This humble bag has been a huge help whenever I have my attack. I simply open the bag and breathe through it. After a while, my panic subsides.

Even though the mechanics seem so easy, there is actually a proper way to do the brown paper bag technique. There is no required size for the bag. However, I find it more ideal to use a medium-sized bag. I cover my mouth and nose with the bag’s opened end and breath through it. I inhale with my nose and exhale with my mouth. I do that for six counts and repeat the cycle.

This technique works because it controls the amount of oxygen I absorb. It is the lack in carbon dioxide, and the increase in oxygen absorption of the body that causes hyperventilation during panic attack. To balance this, the paper bag stops the carbon dioxide you exhale by diffusing into the air, and it helps you stop inhaling more oxygen.

Another quick fix that helps me with my panic attack is an old inhale and exhale tactic. I simply inhale for four counts, hold my breath for seven counts, and exhale for eight counts. I do this for six consecutive cycles, and see if my symptoms have subsided. If you are not comfortable with the brown paper bag, you may opt to use this instead. It is effective too.

Those two are the quick tactics that helps me overcome breathing problems during an attack. I know that you can also experience dizziness, nausea, and palpitation. All of these other symptoms can subside once you have normalized your breathing. In my case, controlling my breathing has always been the effective first approach to my anxiety.

Once my breathing is already on a normal rate, I tend to divert my attention. I watch some good show on television, listen to my favorite music, or read an interesting book. These are some techniques that allow me not to think about my attack. I have noticed that the more I think about my condition, the more I feel tensed, and my symptoms tend to increase in intensity. Therefore, I learned how to avoid this decision by diverting my focus.

Another treatment that I found concerns my diet. I used to consume a lot of caffeine before. My cups of good coffee use to give me an awesome amount of unnecessary energy. I gradually altered my drinking ways by consuming fresh juices and tea which have lesser caffeine. I have also reduced my sweets. Sugar is another provider of energy that I would not be using. My condition improved since I made these changes.

There are certain changes that I have to adopt and sufferings that I have to do. I no longer go on a caffeine binge, or luxuriate with foods that have high sugar content. Also, I exercise regularly. This helped me improve my breathing. You see, do not feel worried about your attack. You simply have to observe the treatments that helped me fight my panic attacks.

Depression: Symptoms and Treatment

Posted on 21 October 2009 by danielle

Being sad once in a while is just a part of life. When a loved-one leaves for abroad, we feel a tinge of loneliness, despite the fact that we can easily communicate with them. This is also true when the team that we are rooting for was not able to make it in the finals. The sadness is there but it does not linger. Today, I will be discussing about the intense and lingering kind of sadness or depression, its symptoms, and treatment.

Depression makes it difficult for a person to function normally and enjoy life as they did before. Their friends and hobbies have ceased to interest them. Often times, they feel really exhausted and the mere idea of getting through the day can be very overwhelming. This kind of situation can make things seem hopeless. It is like being inside a tunnel without the “light at the end” in sight.

Often times, people make use of the term depressed to characterize a feeling of depression or disappointment.  However, it is a different case for those who have clinical depression. The sadness is much more intense and the feeling lingers for a long period. Most of the time, the feeling of depression is characterized by a feeling of an imminent doom. For other depressed patients, they don’t feel loneliness. Instead, there is strong sensation of emptiness, lifeless and being apathetic.

Basically, depression is very much different from the loneliness that surfaces in your day-to-day life. It is a far cry from the sadness that gets in between your ability to eat, work, study sleep and fun. Just imagine being completely conquered by the feeling of hopelessness, helplessness and losing your self-worth.

For you to have an idea about clinical depression or if you have intentions of checking if you are currently experiencing one, check these depression symptoms:

  • You find it difficult to sleep or you have sleeping to much than normal
  • You find it hard to focus or concentrate with whatever you are doing (e.g.: work or academics)
  • Your previous daily tasks seem to become difficult
  • There is a lingering feeling of hopelessness and helplessness
  • Your mind is always occupied with negative thoughts that you can’t seem to sweep off your system
  • You have greatly lose your appetite or you can’t stop yourself from eating
  • You are easily annoyed, irritated or short-tempered than usual
  • You have thoughts that life no longer worth living (In this case, you have to seek for help immediately).

Unlike with other illnesses, depression is highly complicated. It is not merely an imbalance in the chemical make-up of the brain, which a medication can bring a solution to. According to experts, depression is caused by the combination of biological, psychological and social aspects of the sufferer. There were even studies that suggest the vulnerability of a person to depression can be traced in their genetic make-up. Given these factors, the solution also concerns your lifestyle, relationships and coping capacities.

The mere fact that you are informed about depression can be of great help. This will allow you to help yourself as well as the people around you. It is in uncovering the real cause of your depression that enables you to overcome the problem. Say, you are depressed due to losing your job, the treatment for this would be finding yourself a more fulfilling career. Thus, you don’t have to take anti-depressants right away. Another coping strategy that you could help you is finding new friends. You may find new buddies at work or through a similar hobby. Sometimes, merely changing the situation can do wonders to your depression.

Causes of Agoraphobia

Posted on 19 October 2009 by danielle

Agoraphobia is derived from the Greek words Agora and Phobo. The meaning of this is fear of marketplace. This kind of disorder is not fear of open spaces. Instead, it is a fear of crowded events or places. In this article, I would like to give light on the causes of Agoraphobia.

Having Agoraphobia is a double whammy since it is associated with another disorder called panic attack. A person who has this case is not comfortable to be in a rock concert, the peak hours of the underground, the airport, shopping mall or any assembly where there is a huge space and a lot of people. Hence, sufferers are often perceived as anti-social which is not actually the case.

Their fear is rooted from embarrassment. They are afraid to have a panic attack amidst an event and in front of many people. Also, they are thinking of “what-ifs” when they have an attack. For them, it would be difficult to find a place to hide in an open space.

Mostly, they just prefer to stay inside their homes where they feel face. Even the simple task of going to the grocery to buy the essentials is a difficult task for them. Travelling is also impossible because of their irrational fears regarding their panic attacks and embarrassment.

The usual treatment for this case is cognitive behaviour approach. One popular technique under this approach is cognitive restructuring. This focuses on replacing their irrational fears or beliefs with realistic information. It is actually greatly informational. A simple tactic that can do wonders for the sufferer.

Another treatment available for people with agoraphobia is Psycho-pharmaceutical approach. In this case, a person is given anti-depressants and other medication that would provide chemical balance to lessen their anxiety. Also, some counselling is applied too.

Coping With Anxiety

Posted on 19 October 2009 by danielle

Nervousness is actually a normal mechanism of our body. It is a warning sign when one’s life is in danger. However, this feeling can actually get serious if it is highly intense and frequent. This kind of nervousness can already be characterized as Anxiety. In this article, I’ll be sharing my own experience about coping with anxiety.

It was around my teens when I noticed that I easily feel nervous and panicked. I thought it was just my default and I have nothing to worry about. Until, I was in college when I first experienced a Panic Attack. At first I was nervous, then, I have hard time breathing, I have palpitations and I kind of feel dizzy. I was overwhelmed with the situation that it made my symptoms more intense.

I did not know what to do then. Good thing I have my roommate who helped me go to the hospital.  There, I was told that what I just had was panic attack. My doctor told me to relax and not worry about anything. Actually, it was hard to feel relaxed at the midst of the physical symptoms of my episode. I was given a medication to relax me. After a few minutes, my breathing went back to normal and the remaining symptoms subsided too.

I was not given any medication yet, the doctor recommended me to another expert. I learned more about my case when I visited a psychologist. It was difficult at first to accept that what I have is classified as a disorder.

According to the DSM or Diagnostic Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders, these are the usual symptoms of panic attacks: accelerated heart rate, profuse sweating, shaking or trembling, shortness of breath, feeling of choking, chest pain, nausea, feeling of light headed, derealisation and depersonalization.

Most of the time, the attack is consisted of combination of the mentioned symptoms. Also, as the attack progresses the symptoms also intensifies. It may start with shortness of breath that eventually affects other parts of your body. Hence, it is best to focus on your breathing to cease other symptoms from surfacing.

From the American Psychological Association or APA, an episode usually lasts for thirty minutes or less. On the other hand, anxiety can also be as short as 15 seconds. There are also cases where in episodes go in a cyclic series, lasting for a longer period, sometimes even hours.

As I have mentioned awhile ago, the popular first aid for your attack is to focus on your breathing. What you should do is to normalize your breathing. To do this, you may use your cupped hands to cover your nose and mouth. Then, breathe-in and breathe-out through until you feel that you are breathing normal again. You may also use a brown paper bag to control the air the volume that you are inhaling.

For our information to be balanced, I want to mention that there are those who critique of the importance of paper bag breathing. This kind of practice has the hazard of limiting the oxygen that goes inside the body. What it does is increase the carbon dioxide that a person inhibits.

An alternative for the paper bag theory is initially determining if there is a hyperventilation in the case. If there is a necessity to balance the oxygen and carbon dioxide of the victim, a perfect tactic would be to extend their out breathe by humming or counting.

Now, let us go to the triggers of the attack. Other people have Agoraphobia which is associated with panic or anxiety attacks. This agoraphobia is another form of disorder. Those who have this case find it very had to be in a crowded place. They fear that they might have an attack at the midst of the crowd and they may not be able to escape successfully.

So, places like the subway or underground, concerts and other crowded events are the usual situation that people with Agoraphobia avoid. Another thing that they fear of is being embarrassed in front of other people. The name of this disorder is derived from the Greek words agora and phobos, when translated means fear of marketplace.

Another trigger of panic is phobia. This can be a fear you have for an arachnid or an enclosed placed which is popularly known as claustrophobia. One of the most popular triggers of nervousness is public speaking. I too am not comfortable in such setting.

For treatment, experts usually recommend cognitive behavioural approach. The first part of this therapy is greatly informational. Victims, like me, found this information vital in for our survival. This simple step allows us to protect ourselves from an incoming attack. Moreover, we no longer have to feel an “extra” anxiety for now knowing what is happening to our body.

A lot of people who have panic disorder feel that they are “going insane” or that their attack might continue to a heart attack. Hence, cognitive restructuring or changing one’s way of thinking guides the sufferers to replace these thoughts with realistic and proper way of viewing their panic episodes.

If you haven’t consulted your doctor and you have the same symptoms as I had. It is best to go to the experts and be informed of what you really have. This will give you peace of mind and the right information that you need. You will be surprised that there is nothing to be afraid of from learning about your health. So, good luck and I wish you well.