Break the Cycle: How to Stop Panic Attacks
Article by Anna Mathis
Searching the American Journal of Psychiatry website results in more than twenty-five thousand articles that speak to panic disorder and panic attacks. The prevalence of the disorder and how widely it is studied is solidified by that number. There is a Panic Disorder Severity Scale (PDSS) that was developed in 1997 by M. Katherine Shear, M.D., of the Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which can be administered by a clinician in about five to ten minutes. Seven different factors (listed below) are used to determine how to get panic attack relief for each individual patient, and this scale is widely accepted in the medical community. The seven factors are: panic frequency; distress during panic; panic-focused anticipatory anxiety; phobic avoidance of situations; phobic avoidance of physical sensations; impairment in work functioning; and impairment in social functioning.
People who have experienced, and continue to experience panic attacks, will recognize many of these factors as having a negative impact on their lives. The constant fear of suffering another attack, and the symptoms of panic attacks themselves, are not going to be affected by simply being evaluated by the PDSS. Below, you will find descriptions of how psychiatric and psychological treatment is used to stop panic attacks.
You Must First Understand What Panic Attacks AreThe first things we need to look at are why medical professionals believe panic attacks happen; what they are, and what causes them. The nucleus of panic disorder is a panic attack – an intensely frightening experience. Choking or smothering sensations; fear of losing control, dying, or “going crazy”; feeling unsteady; feelings of nearly paralyzing terror; nausea or stomach pains; numbness or tingling in fingers or toes; shortness of breath; and sweating are all symptoms that people who are having a panic attack can experience. Knowing this, it becomes easy to understand why some people take themselves to the emergency department, fully believing that they are having a heart attack.
Panic attacks generally happen the first time when a person is between the ages of 25 and 30 years old. There are times when someone’s panic attack has been set off by a life-altering event such as divorce, the death of a loved one, or even the birth of a child or upcoming marriage, but is unfortunately mistaken for another condition. If a person has a panic attack and does not immediately correlate it to the trigger that caused it, it can be hard to determine what started the attacks, and can also delay treatment.
Patients may believe they recognize their triggers and begin to try to avoid them, which can lead to other serious issues, such as agoraphobia and other phobia-type illnesses. Without proper treatment, the cycle becomes a slippery slope, growing worse and worse over time. Fortunately, once identified, panic disorder is treatable, and a good percentage (around 90%) of panic attack sufferers go on to lead healthy, attack-free lives.
What Are the Medical Treatment Options?Psychotherapy is generally the first option and it can come in a couple of different forms — Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) or Exposure Therapy. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy starts by teaching a patient about their disorder, and how to learn to keep track of their episodes, which can help identify their personal triggers. The therapist will teach the patient some breathing techniques designed to help them control the attacks while they occur. This method of therapy assumes that the patient controls their own thoughts, rather than any outside influences doing so, and seeks to teach the patient how to master their thoughts so that they are capable of overcoming the catastrophic feelings they may be having while suffering an attack. The quickest way to stop panic attacks is how the medical community regards this type of therapy.
Exposure Therapy starts with CBT and builds on it by exposing the patient to situations that act as triggers for them. These triggers can be situations, traumatic experiences the patient has lived through, or thoughts or memories that causes a panic attack in patients. To start with in this form of therapy, the patient and the therapist together attempt to determine what those triggers are. Of course, this can be easier said than done. The patient will then be introduced to the situation, thought or remembrance that acts as his or her trigger, in small doses, until they can confront it straight out. The theory here is that facing the fear helps the patient to overcome it.
Medicinal TherapiesMany times therapy will be supplemented by medication that treats the symptoms and occurrences of attacks. Drugs prescribed for this purpose will fall into one of four basic categories: Tricyclic Antidepressants; Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs); Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors (MAOIs); and Benzodiazepines.
Having over twenty different side effects are Tricyclic Antidepressants, which can cause irregular heartbeat, muscle breakdown and dry mouth, among other things. Highly toxic, these drugs are in the process of being replaced by SSRIs, described in the paragraph below.
To explain it plainly, Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors are drugs that increase the level of serotonin in the body. Serotonin is an organic compound; a neurotransmitter that regulates mood and these drugs boast a whopping twenty-two side effects which can include anything from headaches to liver or renal impairment, with the most widely noted being sexual side-effects including erectile dysfunction and decreased libido.
Prescribed chiefly for smoking cessation and as antidepressants are Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors. These drugs can actually kill you if mixed with the wrong food or other drugs, and they are not used as much because of this and because they are so strong.
Benzodiazepines have been classified by the Drug Enforcement Agency as depressants capable of causing amnesia, hostility, irritability and disturbing dreams, and in high doses, they behave as hypnotics. They have been shown, however, to help control panic attacks, but the long-term effects cannot be overlooked.
While these are some scary facts about drug therapies, many people have found them to be very effective when trying to stop panic attacks. It is critical that you do your homework before you begin any form of therapy, and do not hesitate to discuss your concerns about drug therapy with your doctor before he or she hands you a prescription.
About the Author
Anna Mathis is a freelance writer on several health topics including the control and management of panic and anxiety disorders. She currently writes for EndingPanicAttacks.com
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