Panic Attacks
Anyone that has ever had an unexpected panic attack will almost certainly never forget the sudden and frightening burst of symptoms, both physical and psychological. It feels as if you were in a small cage with a large hungry tiger – only there is no sizeable danger. Imagine yourself sitting at home comfortably watching TV. All of sudden, you get a frightening sensation of dread, your heart begins to race, and you don’t know why. You think that you are having a heart attack. Before you know it, you are sweating , have trouble catching your breath, feel dizzy, and are scared to death. You try to calm yourself, but it doesn’t work. You are rushed to the hospital, but by the time you get to the emergency room your symptoms have evaporated . After getting a thorough examination the doctor and psychologistsay,it was just a panic attack.
Panic attacksare touching upon people right across the socio-economic spectrum and across all age groups. Even though most cases occur between late teens and mid thirties, kids are also able to develop these symptoms and so can people in their forties right through to their eighties. Studies have also revealed that women are twice as likely to experience more series of panic attack as equated to men.
Having an isolated panic attackdoes not signify that you havePanic Disorder. Studies show that about 35 percent of the general population have a singlepanic attacksome point in their lives, but very few ever go on to have full-blownPanic Disorder. Different people react differently to having a panic attack. Some are so rattled that they cannot stop thinking about it or worrying about when it will happen again. Most just shrug off the experience and move on without giving it much thought. The diagnosis ofPanic Disorderapplies when the attacks are frequent, terribly upsetting, and/or have a significant impact on your life.
There are many medications that work for panic attacks and almost everyone will eventually get better.
Psychologistsrecommend
cognitive behavioral therapyas a proven and effective treatment .Cognitive behavioral psychotherapyteaches how to prevent the rise of uncomfortable physical sensations into full-blown panic attacks. Through therapy, the psychologist will teach that it is normal to experience a wide variety of bodily sensations – a short run of palpitations does not mean there is anything necessarily wrong with your heart. The techniques learned in cognitive behavioral therapy can be implemented indefinitely so that remission is often maintained long after the therapy has ended.
