Archive for December, 2009
Treating Panic Attacks - What You Need To Do
When you experience panic attacks, you will have to seek help. It is not quite possible for you to fight this problem all by yourself. The amount of panic you will experience and the symptoms may get more severe if you do not seek help for these attacks of panic problems. You will need to call a professional from health care and receive help for panic attacks.
The first thing you need to do in seeking panic help is to get an appointment with the medical doctor who generally treats you. Your doctor will enquire about the symptoms that you are experiencing and also the frequency of the panic attacks. The doctor will gather information regarding your psychological symptoms. You will also need to inform the doctor about your physical symptoms when you are experiencing these panic attacks. It is very important to inform the doctor in detail about your physical reactions to the attacks. This will let the doctor know what the cause of your panic attacks is. It may be due to psychological or medical disorder.
Make a list of all the medications you use for your doctor. Some medications have side effects which may cause nervousness, restlessness, anxiety and other symptoms of panic attacks. It is therefore necessary for your doctor to get to know what the cause of your attack is.
You may need to take a blood test if your doctor has a feeling that it may be due to a medical problem. If certain medications are causing your attacks, your doctor may advise you to change your medications.
Prozac, Xanax or Zoloft are certain medications the doctor may put down for you if he or she thinks that the cause for your attacks may be a result of psychological disorder. If you have more severe attacks the doctor will pass you further for more help in panic attacks. You may be referred to a therapist or a psychiatrist.
A psychiatrist will prescribe psychotropic medication and will also keep a look out for your side effects and symptoms. He will change the medications if he needs to do it. You will have to try out a few medications before your psychiatrist realizes what works best for you. It may take a month to be able to see the whole effects of this medication.
Your psychiatrist or your medical doctor will refer you to a therapist for getting help for these attacks. The therapist will work with you and find out the level of anxiety that you will feel that causes the panic attacks. He will also identify you triggers, teach you to calm down your mind and body and also work through situations that trigger panic attacks.
Abhishek Agarwal
http://www.articlesbase.com/mental-health-articles/treating-panic-attacks-what-you-need-to-do-709354.html
Panic Attacks in Children - 3 Safe Ways You Can Treat Panic Attacks in Children
It is distasteful but true that panic attacks children! It is more agonizing because they are innocent and highly vulnerable. Most parents think that their children are under no pressure of bearing life’s responsibilities, meaning they are kept away from stress and worry. But this is more a misconception than reality, in fact panic attacks actually effect children, but the nature of how they effect and form is a little different.
Before dealing with the safe ways to treat panic attacks in children, let us briefly discuss the term ‘Panic Attack’.
The AACAP (an American research department of children) defines Panic Attack as “recurring periods of discomfort or/and intense fear, besides an amplified heartbeat and longer interval of breath. This period of time is called ‘panic attacks’ and can survive somewhere between a couple of minutes to quite a few hours.”
In order to prevent panic attacks in children you should observe the reasons and influences under which panic actually effects the child. First of all try to work out his/her past happenings and observe their daily behavior. Panic attacks in children can be easily treated by knowing and identifying the root cause. So following, are 3 safe ways you can follow to treat panic attacks in children:
1. Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) in children - The child who feels too much anxiety about upcoming events, family, friends, conversations, or any other event, are commonly influenced by generalized anxiety disorder. Therapy and relaxation techniques are most effective ways to treat children influenced by GAD.
2. Separation anxiety disorder (SAD) in children - At the time of separation from parents or loved ones, commonly a child can experience panic. The cause of separation may be studies, i.e. boarding school. Try to make your child understand the reality of life, as well as train them to cope with emotional stresses. This simple and natural method is very effective when panic attacks children.
3. The fear factor of attending school after a long academic holiday - Commonly, a child can panic when school resumes after long school holidays. Cognitive behavioral therapies (CBT) are useful in treating such panics:
- Positive reinforcement like a reward system for attending school
- Systematic desensitization- A technique used in behavior therapy to treat phobias and other behavior problems involving anxiety can both help to treat panic attacks occurring in this situation.
4. Anxiety and panic usually arises through something happening within the child’s life. Sometimes it may be school and other times it may be a life experience such as a death in the family or parents separation. There are self help guides available online that can help to treat Anxiety and Panic, however severe! This may be an avenue that is worth taking!
If you feel your child is suffering from panic attacks, you should refrain from getting worried; such symptoms are not abnormal and are easily curable. Just follow the above mentioned safeguards and in most of the cases you may find it effective. There are also self-help methods available to treat anxiety and panic attacks in both adults and children and they may also be worth looking into if you feel your child suffers severely.
Ethan Grays
http://www.articlesbase.com/mental-health-articles/panic-attacks-in-children-3-safe-ways-you-can-treat-panic-attacks-in-children-723385.html
Panic Attacks- The Medical Reasons Behind It!
Medical disorders as well as psychological disorders are responsible for panic attacks on humans. Panic attacks caused due to medical disorders depend on the way the person handles anxiety in him. Medical disorders might also disturb a body with its effects that you might not have had a problem handling earlier. Panic attacks become harder and tougher to treat because of a few medical disorders.
Most of the doctors advise for a blood test when you are struck with a panic attack or just its symptoms. There are a lot of medical reasons why panic attacks happen quite often. Blood test happens to be the simplest and the cheapest way to find out the loop hole in these panic attacks on the body. Doctors are afraid many of these panic attacks might just mask the medical disorders as these are liable to become worse without even a treatment.
A thyroid disorder test is a must when it comes to testing for a medical caused panic attack. The doctor’s advices a thyroid disorder test immediately as it is known to cause irritability, anxiety and a few other psychological symptoms. These symptoms could be quite dangerous as they can build up to something more serious. A blood test is sufficient to test your thyroid disorder.
An example of a medical cause is sleep disorder. A good night’s sleep can lead from anxiety and frustration to panic attacks. Hence, it is very essential that good sleep is always encouraged and got. Everyone knows the importance of a good sleep and what it can do if you are deprived of it. Frustration and anxiety lead up to panic attacks when you are deprived of some good and healthy sleep. A sleep disorder check can confirm your panic attacks and help you solve them comfortably.
IBS or the Irritable Bowel Syndrome is when you are either having a chronic diarrhea or unable to have proper bowel movement. Uncontrollable diarrhea is a hindrance when it happens in public places where you have to keep excusing yourself. It might be embarrassing to keep going to the restroom if you are in school or a work. Frustration and irritation starts to creep when you have to keep visiting the restroom often especially when you are driving or in an important meeting. This begins to get big on you sometimes leading to anxiety and worry. Panic attacks follow soon, much to the misery of the person. You will feel better and confident if you could open up your problem with IBS and get a proper treatment for yourself. You can, thus, prevent visiting the restroom too often and hence alleviate he anxiety level and also a panic attack.
Heart conditions also can contribute to a medical cause which leads to panic attacks. The conditions in the heart can increase the possibility to cause the panic attacks. Heart rate, palpitations and tightening sensation in the chest are a few indications of a heart condition causing panic attack. This, in turn, causes more anxiety and invites more trouble, nonetheless. It is very important that you share all your problems with your doctor as he is the only one who could understand everything about it. Doctors can provide you the right medicine and medication to help you fight your panic attacks and get rid of them as soon as possible. Apart from all these, there could be a lot more symptoms regarding these panic attacks. One should ensure that these are noted properly and reported to the doctor without any delay. Symptoms of fear and panic can come in any form to a person anytime; hence it is advisable to get treated as soon as possible.
Abhishek Agarwal
http://www.articlesbase.com/mental-health-articles/panic-attacks-the-medical-reasons-behind-it-709352.html
The 8 Most Common Signs & Symptoms of Panic Attacks!
These differ from person to person. Everybody has encountered some sort of nervousness or anxiety at some point of time or place. In brief, when anxiety reaches its extreme level we call it a panic attack. Some of the common signs and symptoms of panic attacks are restlessness, lightheadedness, immense sweating, dizziness, nervousness and shakiness etc.
Panic attacks are unexpected fear, a distinct type of extreme anxiety that gives physiological arousal, discomfort and sometimes stomach pains - all are related to cognitive and bodily symptoms. However, panic attacks in most cases only last for few minutes but can in severe cases last several hours. Panic attacks can affect both the body and the mind and can provoke immense fear and terror. Some sufferers do not even realise they are suffering from anxiety until it is too late. So here are 10 signs & symptoms of panic attacks that are most common in today’s society:
1. Heart Palpitations - During panic attacks an unnatural consciousness of the heart beating occurs, it may be too slow or irregular and in many cases too fast.
2. Over Breathing Or Hyperventilation - It is a state of breathing deeper or/and faster than normal. This symptom can be one of the most terrifying and can lead onto the next symptom quickly.
3. Fear Of Losing Control Or Going Crazy - More often than not panic attacks are associated with the sense of terror and lead to the sufferer feeling like they are losing control or going crazy.
4. Shakiness & Dizziness - This is another common sign & symptom of a panic attack. This symptom can make you feel like you have developed low blood sugar or that you have just run a long distance.
5. Hot flashes - Hot flashes will force the sufferer to feel extreme heat with an increased heartbeat and sweating. This symptom can last for a short time such as two minutes but has been known to drag on past thirty minutes in severe cases.
6. Fainting - Fainting can happen in severe cases of panic attacks and can be very common. This is due to an inadequate flow of oxygen in the brain.
7. Frequent Toilet Use - Panic attacks as mentioned effect people in different ways, and an extreme urge to need the toilet frequently can be a certain sign of anxiousness that eventually leads to a panic attack. A symptom that props up regularly in anxiety and panic attack sufferers.
8. Insomnia & Lack Of Concentration - Anxiety can lead to a lack of concentration and sleepless nights. This Anxiety and panic attack symptom can be an early sign that you may be suffering from the condition.
To overcome panic attacks one should keep in mind that most of the sign and symptoms of panic attacks occur due to one’s imagination. In other words, panicky is a state of mind instead of strict disorder. There are ways to overcome and treat anxiety and panic, and if you do indeed suffer from any of the above symptoms it may be time for you to look for a helping hand.
Ethan Grays
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/the-8-most-common-signs-symptoms-of-panic-attacks-723320.html
Teen Panic Disorders - Tips To Help Your Troubled Teenager
It can turn out to be a difficult task to make a diagnosis of panic disorders in the adolescents, as their behavior is very unpredictable. They do not communicate well with people and thus the parents find it very difficult to know what exactly is wrong with their kids. The parents thus come to know this only when their kids undergo a panic attack. The adolescents are always troublesome and hard to put up with during their anxiety, panic or worry.
Life is hard -hitting without having to be a teenager. The roles of hormones are intense and also the brain is fabricating an excess of too many chemicals. The studies made report about the panic disorder in teenagers as, they are being sorted out as what is normal and the reason for the disorder can be tough. News which makes us all happy is that this disorder can be treated and are curable.
Some of the symptoms the adolescents (suffering from this disorder), undergo usually are the:
* Increase in the heart beat count
* Woozy
* Difficulty in breathing
* Wobbly
* Perplexity
This disorder if present among the adolescents many also produce other behavioral problems. E.g.: The teenager may refuse to mingle with people and may not get out of the house. They will have trepidation of associating as they would not want to get a panic attack when facing their friends. These teenagers are vulnerable to depression also. They might also have a problem or any trouble at their school and often fear for unnecessary things.
The panic disorders are difficult to be identified in the teenagers, but if you recognize the problem as soon as possible then it will not be a difficult task to address the trouble. When one thinks that a teenager is suffering with this disorder then he must not hesitate to take the concerned person to the medical doctor for physical evaluation. If there are no symptoms found for the panic attacks then you must visit a psychologist.
When the parents are trying to get their children to over come this problem then he must bear in mind the child’s interpretation of life. This may occur to an adolescent for because of various reasons. The frustration with their living or the problem of self esteem might be few of the reasons for the panic attack in youngsters. One sees his child very vigorous and pretty but the child may not feel the same.
There are treatments available to cure the disorder among adolescents. These comprise the physical, mental, spiritual and cognitive treatments. These teenagers learn to hack it with the disorder and change their life style and way of thinking so as to reduce the tendency of worry. They can be cured with proper treatments.
Abhishek Agarwal
http://www.articlesbase.com/mental-health-articles/teen-panic-disorders-tips-to-help-your-troubled-teenager-709359.html
Crucial Steps You Can Take to Avoid Panic Attacks While Pregnant!
Pregnancy for women is nature’s boon to them. It is a specialty which their counterpart (male) can not share. Pregnancy is one of the most joyous moments of any woman’s life! But, when panic attacks occur during pregnancy it becomes not just a bad experience but also a very dangerous experience for both mother and baby! Within society, panic attacks are nothing unusual, in fact they can be very common and are suffered by many people nowadays, some more severe than others. Now during pregnancy this common condition/situation can be extremely dangerous for both mother and baby and is a completely different ball game.
Panic attacks while pregnant can result from the immense stress and anxiety that occurs during pregnancy. It is natural because at this time the stimulative hormone ’serotonin’ is produced in large quantities. So, during pregnancy a woman comes under influence of panic attacks in two ways - first the natural secretion of the hormone and second, anticipated fear.
So, bearing a baby and suffering from panic attacks can make the situation dangerous. So here are some crucial tips you can follow to help with avoiding panic attacks while pregnant!
1. Practice Breathing Exercises - When you are feeling nervous, it is advised to put your hand over the stomach and take deep slow breaths. Expand and compress your stomach softly while inhaling and exhaling. By doing these exercises you can relieve your stress and worries. Try to do this on a regular basis to help avoid attacks surfacing!
2. A Healthy Balanced Diet - You must pay attention to your diet as you are not only feeding yourself but also your baby. Your diet should contain more fruits and green vegetables as they are easily digestible and above all, essential elements required by the body during pregnancy. These foods contain chemicals which are helpful in controlling panic attacks during pregnancy. You should also include protein in your diet like egg white, meat, fish etc. This will enable you to keep your diet balanced!
3. Plenty Of Sleep - Pregnant women are advised to rest and take ample sleep during their pregnancy period. A research, titled ‘Curing Illness by means of Sleeping’ reveals that good sleep can cure many ailments including stress related ailments. The body gets the opportunity to heal by itself, and no medicine can compete with this healing technique.
4. Maintain Balance - You should maintain balanced behavior to avoid panic attacks during pregnancy. Control your emotions - be it positive or negative. Over joy or depression is dangerously harmful during pregnancy. Try to refrain from anything that is associated with extreme emotion.
The best thing you can do to avoid panic attacks while pregnant is - eat healthy, sleep well and think positive. Maintaining this type of attitude is hugely important and will help you cope with panic attacks and ultimately avoid them while pregnant!
Ethan Grays
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/crucial-steps-you-can-take-to-avoid-panic-attacks-while-pregnant-723337.html
Treating Panic Attacks - What You Need To Do
When you experience panic attacks, you will have to seek help. It is not quite possible for you to fight this problem all by yourself. The amount of panic you will experience and the symptoms may get more severe if you do not seek help for these attacks of panic problems. You will need to call a professional from health care and receive help for panic attacks.
The first thing you need to do in seeking panic help is to get an appointment with the medical doctor who generally treats you. Your doctor will enquire about the symptoms that you are experiencing and also the frequency of the panic attacks. The doctor will gather information regarding your psychological symptoms. You will also need to inform the doctor about your physical symptoms when you are experiencing these panic attacks. It is very important to inform the doctor in detail about your physical reactions to the attacks. This will let the doctor know what the cause of your panic attacks is. It may be due to psychological or medical disorder.
Make a list of all the medications you use for your doctor. Some medications have side effects which may cause nervousness, restlessness, anxiety and other symptoms of panic attacks. It is therefore necessary for your doctor to get to know what the cause of your attack is.
You may need to take a blood test if your doctor has a feeling that it may be due to a medical problem. If certain medications are causing your attacks, your doctor may advise you to change your medications.
Prozac, Xanax or Zoloft are certain medications the doctor may put down for you if he or she thinks that the cause for your attacks may be a result of psychological disorder. If you have more severe attacks the doctor will pass you further for more help in panic attacks. You may be referred to a therapist or a psychiatrist.
A psychiatrist will prescribe psychotropic medication and will also keep a look out for your side effects and symptoms. He will change the medications if he needs to do it. You will have to try out a few medications before your psychiatrist realizes what works best for you. It may take a month to be able to see the whole effects of this medication.
Your psychiatrist or your medical doctor will refer you to a therapist for getting help for these attacks. The therapist will work with you and find out the level of anxiety that you will feel that causes the panic attacks. He will also identify you triggers, teach you to calm down your mind and body and also work through situations that trigger panic attacks.
Abhishek Agarwal
http://www.articlesbase.com/mental-health-articles/treating-panic-attacks-what-you-need-to-do-709354.html
Tips for Panic Attacks - are They Really That Effective?
Panic attacks and anxiety is very common in many of us in today’s world. More and more people suffer from anxiety and panic attacks daily, probably because of the added stress and tension that effects many of us in today’s society. The growing fears of a global recession, job losses, deaths within the family/friend circle, as well as new phobias that are arising day in day out. So when you read online about different tips for panic attacks and anxiety that can help you and your condition. Do they actually help? Are they as effective as they are made out?
Well, the most common tips that pop up on a regular basis including breathing exercises, meditation, yoga, healthy eating and also plenty of sleep all tackle one element to a panic attack. That one element being STRESS!
Panic Attacks are generally brought on when a person is put under a huge amount of stress. There are a few ways panic attacks can occur, but stress and tension is by far one of the most common causes of an attack. So obviously targeting de-stress would be the key to defeating anxiety and panic attacks. While this in theory is correct and targeting stress with the above common tips will help to relieve your anxiety and panic attacks, it is only a short term solution.
Panic attacks can take control of a persons life very quickly and if left untreated can spiral at an uncontrollable rate. So a long term solution needs to be the goal! Thankfully, there are many different avenues you can take to treat panic attacks and anxiety and get rid of the condition for good. However severe you believe your condition is, there is a light at the end of the tunnel for everyone. Targeting the tips above will of course offer a solution in the short term but for actually getting rid of the condition, may just be sweeping the problem under the carpet!
Ethan Grays
http://www.articlesbase.com/mental-health-articles/tips-for-panic-attacks-are-they-really-that-effective-723370.html
Panic Attacks - Stop Scaring Yourself!
Most people are unaware of the magnitude of the disruption panic attacks bring to a patient suffering from them frequently. They do not understand what causes these attacks and why they are so terrible for the patient. Patients who undergo panic attacks are unable to leave home or work. They are unable to handle specific situations or to tolerate the presence of specific objects around them. This can have a terrible influence on their daily life and is very hard on them.
Panic Attacks typically start with fear, worry or anxiety. Normally everyone feels anxious some time or the other, but the patient with panic attacks experiences intense anxiety. Their emotions of anxiety, worry and fear get totally out of control. This fact causes them even more anxiety and gets converted into physical symptoms. They feel as if they are suffering from heart attack or some other critical medical problem like seizure. Physical symptoms represent a big indication in understanding panic attacks. Patients who suffer from a high state of fear, anxiety or worry feel their increased heartbeats, palpitations and a feeling of tightness in the chest. This worries them all the more because they feel they are facing much more than a fearful situation. Some neurological symptoms like uncontrollable shaking, jittering or twitching may also be exhibited. The patient literally shakes from terror and fear over the confronting situation. Other symptoms such as headaches, diarrhea, stomach upset, chills or hot flushes, nausea and other physical reactions may also manifest.
What causes these panic attacks? The causes of panic attacks are varied and they are different for each individual. Chronic panic attacks may manifest as psychological disorders such as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Social Anxiety, Phobia and such other anxiety disorders. Persons suffering from these disorders display an astoundingly higher level of anxiety than persons who are lucky not to suffer from these disorders.
Panic attacks may also be a result of underlying medical disorders like Thyroid Disorder, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Migraines, some types of heart conditions and certain disorders which are anxiety provoking. Some of these will directly result in anxiety due to physiological reasons whereas others will cause anxiety as an outcome of the medical disorder. The patients with medical problems could be fearful of their deteriorating health or the medical problems may not allow them to undertake certain activities or reduce their capacity as compared to earlier times.
Panic attacks may also result from medications. Many medications have side effects which result in restlessness, insomnia, nervousness and deep anxiety. The people who are prone to anxiety normally find that medication worsens their situation and makes it more difficult to achieve control over their feelings. If the medication prevents them from sleeping, it aggravates symptoms.
If you understand what panic attacks are, it will help you to assist a close friend or a member of the family who may be undergoing panic attacks regularly. It is important to understand that these people are neither going mad nor are they inventing the symptoms that are displayed. Panic attacks are terrible disorders which totally disrupt someone’s life. If you can encourage such a person to seek medical help to reduce these panic attacks frequency and severity, you would have done a lot to support him towards leading a normal life.
Abhishek Agarwal
http://www.articlesbase.com/mental-health-articles/panic-attacks-stop-scaring-yourself-709370.html
The 8 Most Common Signs & Symptoms of Panic Attacks!
These differ from person to person. Everybody has encountered some sort of nervousness or anxiety at some point of time or place. In brief, when anxiety reaches its extreme level we call it a panic attack. Some of the common signs and symptoms of panic attacks are restlessness, lightheadedness, immense sweating, dizziness, nervousness and shakiness etc.
Panic attacks are unexpected fear, a distinct type of extreme anxiety that gives physiological arousal, discomfort and sometimes stomach pains - all are related to cognitive and bodily symptoms. However, panic attacks in most cases only last for few minutes but can in severe cases last several hours. Panic attacks can affect both the body and the mind and can provoke immense fear and terror. Some sufferers do not even realise they are suffering from anxiety until it is too late. So here are 10 signs & symptoms of panic attacks that are most common in today’s society:
1. Heart Palpitations - During panic attacks an unnatural consciousness of the heart beating occurs, it may be too slow or irregular and in many cases too fast.
2. Over Breathing Or Hyperventilation - It is a state of breathing deeper or/and faster than normal. This symptom can be one of the most terrifying and can lead onto the next symptom quickly.
3. Fear Of Losing Control Or Going Crazy - More often than not panic attacks are associated with the sense of terror and lead to the sufferer feeling like they are losing control or going crazy.
4. Shakiness & Dizziness - This is another common sign & symptom of a panic attack. This symptom can make you feel like you have developed low blood sugar or that you have just run a long distance.
5. Hot flashes - Hot flashes will force the sufferer to feel extreme heat with an increased heartbeat and sweating. This symptom can last for a short time such as two minutes but has been known to drag on past thirty minutes in severe cases.
6. Fainting - Fainting can happen in severe cases of panic attacks and can be very common. This is due to an inadequate flow of oxygen in the brain.
7. Frequent Toilet Use - Panic attacks as mentioned effect people in different ways, and an extreme urge to need the toilet frequently can be a certain sign of anxiousness that eventually leads to a panic attack. A symptom that props up regularly in anxiety and panic attack sufferers.
8. Insomnia & Lack Of Concentration - Anxiety can lead to a lack of concentration and sleepless nights. This Anxiety and panic attack symptom can be an early sign that you may be suffering from the condition.
To overcome panic attacks one should keep in mind that most of the sign and symptoms of panic attacks occur due to one’s imagination. In other words, panicky is a state of mind instead of strict disorder. There are ways to overcome and treat anxiety and panic, and if you do indeed suffer from any of the above symptoms it may be time for you to look for a helping hand.
Ethan Grays
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/the-8-most-common-signs-symptoms-of-panic-attacks-723320.html
