Panic Attack Treatment Effective Tips, Symptoms, & Causes

What are Panic Attacks?

Panic attacks are the momentary surge of intense fear and anxiety that people feel sometime after exposure to a life-threatening event. This article will tackle the symptoms and causes of panic attacks and prevention tactics for individuals in social situations. Panic attack treatments can help most people control or even stop attacks.

Panic attacks are often the sudden onset of intense anxiety, fear, or discomfort lasting several minutes to hours. Thus, rapid heartbeats and increased production of the hormones cortisol and adrenaline defines panic attack. With panic attacks, it’s common for people to be unable to recall what they did before the attack. Furthermore, the episode may also include chest pain, shortness of breath, dizziness, or stomach distress.

People with epilepsy, other seizure disorders, and other neurological conditions can also have panic attacks. Sometimes, panic attacks may result from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Anyone can have a panic attack, and there isn’t a typical way of having one. You can have one while sleeping, in a car, at work, or at home. Likewise, it’s essential to know that the condition is not life-threatening. For one thing, there are many effective treatments available to get it under control. If you suspect someone else may be experiencing panic attacks, the first step is to get them to seek medical help as soon as possible.

10 Tips to Manage Panic Attacks

While we will explore the causes and treatment for panic attacks and disorders, there are things you can try to alleviate the symptoms of panic attacks. Here are ten simple and effective ways to of panic attack treatment at home without medications.

1. Use deep breathing.
2. Recognize that you have a panic attack.
3. Close your eyes.
4. Practice mindfulness.
5. Find a focus object.
6. Use muscle relaxation techniques.
7. Picture your happy place.
8. Engage in light exercise.
9. Keep lavender on hand.
10. Repeat a mantra internally.

Causes of Panic Attack

Factors that may contribute to panic attacks include the following:

• Genetics or family history.
• Major life stress. Such as the death or severe illness of a loved one.
• Temperament that is prone to negative emotions. For example, sexual assault or a severe accident.
• Alterations in the parts of your brain function.
• Excessive use of nicotine or caffeine.
• Drinking alcohol and panic attacks has a very close relationship.
• Drug use.
• Taking certain medicines. Such as those used to treat asthma and heart problems.
• History of childhood physical or sexual abuse.

Panic Attacks Symptoms

While there are different theories on why people have panic attacks, there’s insufficient conclusive evidence to support any one explanation. There are no tests for panic attacks, so we don’t know the cause of a panic attack. Moreover, there’s also some debate about whether clinical research should focus on what causes panic attacks or how to treat them.

• Symptoms of a panic attack include intense anxiety and physical feelings of fear, such as increased heart rate, shortness of breath, trembling, and muscle tension. 
• Triggers for panic attacks can include over breathing, long periods of stress, and activities that lead to intense physical reactions, such as exercise and excessive coffee drinking. Also, material changes occur after an illness or a sudden environmental change. 
• In other cases, symptoms common to panic attacks may also occur in some physical conditions. Some medications and drugs, such as tranquilizers, alcohol, and caffeine, may also induce panic-like symptoms. 

Learn More:

• Effective Medication for Panic Attacks & Panic Disorder
• Panic Attack vs Anxiety Attack
• Grounding Techniques for Panic Attacks
• Anxiety Meditation: Does it Help?
• Inpatient Mental Health Treatment
• Mental Health Treatment
• Is PTSD a Disability?
• PTSD and Alcohol
• Psychiatric Disorders Treatment
• Complex Trauma Treatment

2.7%

An estimated 2.7 percent of US adult citizens had a panic disorder in the past year.

Source: National Institute on Mental Health

4.7%

Roughly 4.7 percent of US adults experience panic disorder at some time.

Source: National Institute of Mental Health

Top 3 How To Prevent Panic Attacks at Night? FAQs

Panic Attack Natural Treatment

How to prevent a panic attack? Consulting a professional for severe panic attack treatment is never a bad idea. Proven techniques can help reduce the frequency and severity of your panic attacks. Even some of the panic attack treatments at home listed above work better when you can be observed by someone who can help if your anxiety becomes too overwhelming.

Likewise, it would help to always visit your doctor before starting any panic attack treatment at home. Physical reasons for panic attacks are uncommon, but unless you consult a doctor, you’ll always have the nagging suspicion that your panic episodes are caused by something else – a health condition. Visiting a doctor alleviates some of this stress. Nonetheless, many people continue to convince themselves that the doctor is missing something, so don’t anticipate seeing a doctor to lessen all of your worries.

Anxiety and Panic Attacks Treatment

The most effective form of professional treatment for panic attacks, panic disorder, and agoraphobia is therapy. To simplify, treatments for panic attacks can help most people control or even stop seizures. Your treatment will depend on your symptoms. But symptoms can come back, especially if you stop treatments for panic attacks too soon. Panic attack prevention and treatment for panic attacks and panic disorder include psychotherapy. Medicines may also help.

• Psychotherapy
  • A type of psychotherapy (panic attack treatment therapy) called cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is valid. CBT focuses on thinking patterns and behaviors. For instance, if you experience a panic attack while driving, what is the worst thing that would happen? You might have to pull over to the side of the road so you do not crash your car or have a heart attack. Once you learn that nothing genuinely disastrous will happen, the experience of panic becomes less terrifying.
• Medication
  • Pharmaceuticals are a temporary solution to control some panic disorder symptoms. However, it doesn’t treat or resolve the problem. It can be helpful in severe cases. But it should not be the only treatment for panic attacks. Panic attack treatment medication is most effective when combined with other treatments, such as therapy and lifestyle changes that address the underlying causes of panic disorder. Examples of medications used:
    • Antidepressants. It may take several weeks before it takes effect. Therefore, it must be taken continuously, not just during a panic attack.
    • Benzodiazepines. Anti-anxiety drugs that act within 30 minutes to an hour. However, benzodiazepines are highly addictive and have severe withdrawal symptoms. So they should be used with caution.

A co-occurring panic attack disorder can occur when a secondary condition or other mental illnesses contribute and become part of the entirety of a mental illness requiring treatment. For this more complex panic attack treatment, an experienced team treating multiple diagnoses can be valuable in achieving recovery success.