Social Anxiety Disorder - How to Overcome Panic Attacks
Panic attacks (part of social anxiety) are brief episodes of extreme apprehension or fear which happens for apparently no reason at all. As a result, it triggers intense physical reactions. Panic attacks are extremely frightening since you have a tendency to lose control of yourself and everything around you. These usually happen unexpectedly, reach its peak in a span of 10 minutes and ends within 30 minutes. You might even have the impression that you are dying from heart attack. A normal person may have an average of 1 or 2 panic attacks in a lifetime. However, if you constantly experience it and frequently fear an onset of another attack, chances are that you could be experiencing a condition known as panic disorder.
Causes of Panic Attack
- Heredity
- Vitamin B deficiency
- Side effect of certain medications
- Effect of stimulants, like caffeine, alcohol or nicotine
- Psychosomatic (having negative thoughts or “what if” scenarios)
- Medical illness or anxiety conditions, like Post-traumatic Stress, Separation Anxiety, Agoraphobia, Social Phobia, Panic Disorder, Adjustment Disorder, Obsessive-compulsive Disorder (OCD), depression and other phobias
- Traumatic events (death of a loved one, painful breakups, life-changing events)
- Conditioned reactions and behaviours
- Serious medical conditions, like vertigo, hyperventilation syndrome, hyperthyroidism, chemical poisoning, hypoglycemia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, mitral valve prolapse, asthma, Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder, Wilson’s Disease, labyrinthitis (disturbance of the inner ear), asthma, chest pains, heart diseases
Symptoms of Panic Attacks
- Chest pain
- Feeling faint, dizzy or lightheaded
- Headache
- Increased heart rate, racing heart, palpitations
- Shaking or trembling
- Upset stomach, nausea
- Chills
- Tingling sensation, numbness
- Sweating
- Difficulty swallowing
- Abdominal cramping
- Hyperventilation or shortness of breath
- Cold or hot flashes
- Tightness of the throat
- Sense of death or impending doom
- Fear of going crazy or losing control
After a panic attack episode, you may feel worn out and extremely tired. One of the dreadful things regarding panic attack experiences is the tremendous fear of the next attack. With panic attack disorder, you might experience a constant severe fear of experiencing another episode at the most unexpected time. As a result, you end up avoiding situations where you think a panic attack might occur. You might even find it hard to leave your house believing that there’s no safe place for you anymore.
Panic Attack Treatment
There are several steps you can to reduce the chances of panic attacks. You need to learn how to recognize attacks for you to be able to know how to manage them. Most panic attack causes are still unclear; therefore, treatment varies for every person. Medication is primarily used to prevent or immediately alleviate symptoms. Medicines which are usually prescribed for panic attacks are anti-anxiety medications, like Ativan, Xanax, Klonopin and Valium. However, these drugs are not meant for long-term use but rather as a temporary immediate relief. Antidepressants are also used to reduce the severity and frequency of panic attacks. Commonly used anti-depressants are Zoloft, Prozac, Celexa, Paxil and Lexapro. Bear in mind that some drugs can actually cause and trigger symptoms of panic attacks. Seek the advice of your doctor regarding the proper intake of panic attack medications.
Another treatment approach to help you deal with your panic symptoms is cognitive-behavioral therapy. This type of therapy teaches you how to use techniques like breathing and muscle relaxation. Psychotherapy, meditation and/or relaxation are other treatment methods to relieve anxiety and panic attacks.