Panic Attack Treatments

The effectiveness of panic attack treatments will differ for each person.  Decisions regarding treatment for panic attacks and other anxiety disorders should take into consideration the intensity and frequency of the attacks.

Panic attack treatments are as diverse as the attacks themselves.  Sufferers should consider the level of disruption to their daily living when seeking anxiety support and treatment.

Following are the most standard treatments for anxiety disorders and panic attack.

1. Self techniques and lifestyle changes may be appropriate methods if the anxiety symptoms are manageable.  The key is learning to recognize and understand a panic attack and then taking action to lower every day anxiety through a variety of techniques.

If the sufferer has had only one attack and is not preoccupied by fear of another attack, recommended self help anxiety reduction techniques include:

	Relaxation – exercise, progressive muscle relaxation, and meditation are powerful techniques
	Positive thinking – negative thoughts encourage anxiety while positive thoughts give us control
	Positive activities – join in, become active, resist isolation, resolve conflicts
	Eat a healthy diet – a well balanced diet encourages alertness and focus, and provides energy
	Get plenty of rest – sleep encourages emotional and physical well being
	Diaphragmatic breathing – breathe deeply through the nose and exhale very slowly
	Eliminate certain substances – caffeine, nicotine, and high sugar diets can contribute to anxiety
	Medications - certain medications can provoke anxiety. Check with your doctor.

The Linden Method does not utilize anxiety drugs or psychotherapy.  Nor does the process involve regressing sufferers back into their past.  To the contrary, the technique disputes that anxiety disorder is the result of a "life event".  Instead, research shows, the actual cause of anxiety disorders is the brain's "'over reaction" to a certain event, thereby fueling a perpetual state of severe anxiety.  Only by "resetting" these reactions, can the anxiety be eliminated.

The Linden Method anxiety support program has eliminated panic attacks and anxiety disorders for over 120,000 sufferers for over 12 years.  OCD, PTSD, and agoraphobia sufferers have realized similar success to panic attack sufferers.

Included in the Linden Method is a 24/7 anxiety support program provided by specialty trained psychologists and counselors.

  
3. Cognitive techniques focus on modifying thought and behavior processes.  While the technique can overlap the principles of some of the self techniques, application of these techniques require the involvement of an expert.  Simply put, cognitive techniques assure the sufferer that panic is a misconception of feelings and therefore the perceived fear is not as intense as imagined.

Joe Barry, a long-sufferer of panic attacks, an acknowledged expert in the field, and author of the Panic Away system has spent years researching the powerful effect of cognitive techniques and their remarkable ability to cure panic attack symptoms. 

Simply put, Panic Away provides a powerful technique which eliminates the fears associated with chronic panic attacks.  According to Barry, fear drives the reoccurrence of the attacks.  By eliminating the fear, the cycle of anxiety is extinguished.  Panic Away focuses on the permanent eradication of that fear.  Scores of sufferers insist that Barry's One Move Technique™ has dramatically changed their lives.  Panic Away does not require that sufferers regress to the past to attempt to discover the trigger for the attacks.

4. Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) is administered by a mental health professional, and is based on similar cognitive, or thought, principles as Barry's techniques.  Under the guidance of professional counseling, sufferers strive to identify and modify their thought patterns and reactions to panic.  In a therapy setting, a goal is to identify the possible triggers for the attacks, as sufferers are generally not consciously aware of the source of their attacks.

In some instances, another form of CBT, exposure therapy, is used to actually confront a feared object or circumstance.  This panic attack treatment is sometimes utilized in cases where fear of subsequent attacks has developed into agoraphobia or other phobias where the trigger is known.

5. Prescription medications can be administered as treatment for panic attacks.  It is said that while medicines will often prevent subsequent attacks, they may not eliminate the fear of experiencing another attack.  There are two types of medicines used in panic attack treatments.
Benzodiazepines are prescribed to lessen the symptoms and can be taken as they are needed.  Antidepressants are a longer term option, and need to be taken daily for at least several months.  The medicines can have side effects, and can interact with other drugs.  Generally, medications are prescribed in conjunction with one of more of the other panic attack treatments described here.

The ultimate consideration in a decision to take medications is to identify if the panic attacks are disrupting daily life, relationships and work responsibilities.  Other issues to consider include whether or not the sufferer is willing to tolerate potential side effects, and if one is willing to take medications for the long term.  Other medical conditions could also impact the decision, either positively or negatively.

Above all, recognize that panic disorder is treatable; it does not suggest weakness, fault, or character flaws.  However, neither the attacks themselves nor the related anxiety should be ignored.  With a variety of panic attack treatments available, one must never allow panic attacks and anxiety to control life.