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Profuse sweating
Increase in heart beat
Dizziness
Nausea
Vomiting
Exhaustion
Chest pain
Feeling of death
Violent shaking
Doctors around the world divide a panic attack into different
stages. At the initial stage the person undergoes a sudden bout
of fear might be due to certain external conditions or in
critical cases due to mental delusions. This leads to a sudden |
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release of adrenaline in the body, which makes the body, undergo
extreme physical activity which leads to increased heart beating
rapid breathing and sweating. At the second stage of the attack
the ph level in the blood of the person drops which in turn lead
to many other symptoms, such as tingling or numbness, dizziness,
and lightheadedness. There is also a strong possibility that the
person experiencing such an attack might also feel as though he
is unable to catch his breath, and they begin to take deeper
breaths, which in turn leads to decrease in the carbon dioxide
levels in the blood. Finally after a few minutes of acute
physical symptoms and psychological distress the attack subsides
and the patient is totally exhausted mostly leading to sound
sleep at the end.
Causes of
panic attacks ?
What causes a panic attack is quite a debatable topic as there
is no fool proof reason given by science as to why panic attack
occurs. However there are certain things that are popularly
considered to be the reasons behind panic attacks. Some of them
are
Heredity panic attacks
have been found to have a hereditary extension. That is why a
person living in a family of panic attack history is more likely
to face a panic attack than a normal person.
Stress people leaving
under very stressful conditions either at home or office and
take the burden of responsibility too much are very much prone
to attacks.
Biomechanical factors low
sugar levels in the body can also cause panic attacks the brain
depends on a steady supply of glucose its only source of
energy. When there is a sudden fall in blood sugar levels the
brain sends a hormonal signal to the adrenal glands to produce
adrenalin which in turn causes panic
Eating disorders unhealthy
eating habits also sometimes lead to panic attacks in patients.
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Treatment Panic disorder can
sometimes continue for months or years depending on your
lifestyle. If left untreated, it may worsen to the point that
mental equilibrium is seriously affected by panic attacks and by
attempts to avoid or conceal them. In fact, many people have
lost jobs while struggling to cope with panic disorder. It does
not usually go away unless the person receives treatments
designed specifically to help people with panic disorder.
Although panic disorder is quite a life threatening disease it
can be cured For people who seek active treatment early in
development, the majority of symptoms can disappear within a few
weeks, with no permanent negative effects once treatment is
completed the process of treatment of panic disorder involves
the following steps:
-
Diagnosis
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Medicinal treatment
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Therapy
-
Support
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Diagnosis
effective diagnosis is very important in curing any disease and
panic attack is no different. At first the doctor takes details
about your attacks its frequency, symptoms and places of occurrence.
The doctor also tries to determine whether health conditions other
than panic attacks are the cause of your symptoms. These other
health conditions might include heart disease or an overactive
thyroid.
Medicinal treatment
medical treatment to panic attacks include taking anti depression
drugs and anti anxiety drugs (benzodiazepines,) like -- Valium,
Ativan, Xanax, etc these medications help break the phobia-panic
pattern, allowing people to function around their phobia without the
help of medications. However these drugs can become a habit
especially when taken for long durations so a proper regulated
approach to medication is advised.
Therapy when your panic
attack is not too threatening and you do not have any other health
issues psychological therapy is the best option. Popularly called as
the cognitive behavior therapy there you learn to recognize things
that trigger your panic attacks or make them worse. The behavioral
part of the therapy involves learning ways of coping with anxiety,
such as using breathing and relaxation techniques. Practice of yoga
and exercises is also recommended to relax your body and prevent
stress levels to increase.
Support As with many
disorders, having a support structure of family and friends who
understand the condition can help increase the rate of recovery.
During an attack, it is not uncommon for the sufferer to develop
irrational, immediate fear, which can often be dispelled by a
supporter who is familiar with the condition. For more serious or
active treatment, there are support groups for anxiety sufferers
which can help people understand and deal with the disorder.
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