Learning How to Control Panic Attacks

Panic attacks are sudden experiences with intense anxiety, often coupled with symptoms like difficulty with breathing, chest pains, spots in front of the eyes and even blackouts. As any one who has had them can attest to, learning how to control panic attacks can have an enormously beneficial effect on your life. Panic attacks can cause you issues in your personal and professional life, and learning a little bit about them and how to control them can be enormously helpful.

Some people tend to scoff at the idea of controlling panic attacks; after all, isn't it extremely difficult if not impossible to be fully cognizant and able to take action during one of these attacks? While the answer is yes, many people who suffer from them learn how to control panic attacks by becoming more aware of the circumstances that trigger them and by noticing signs that indicate that a panic attack is coming on. If you suffer from panic attacks, think of the last time that you experienced one. While it may have stuck out of the blue and without warning, there is a very good chance that you felt uneasy or slightly ill beforehand. When you are learning how to control panic attacks, it is important to take warning signs seriously. Even if you cannot remove yourself from the situation, you will find that an increased awareness will help you deal with it.

When you are thinking about how to control panic attacks, it is important to be proactive about your care in more ways than one. Speak to your doctor. There is a chance that a panic attack is an indication of another issue, one that has its roots in medicine. Even if your doctor can't help you with a straight cure, he many be able to direct you a support group or a therapist. Because panic attacks often have a mental component, it is important to identify the factors that are causing it, and sometimes it can help to have an uninvolved party to help.

There are also some drugs that can help with panic attacks and minimize the symptoms that occur. Anti-anxiety medicine is often prescribed in this way and they can often be used on a short term basis with no risk of addiction. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, known as SSRIs, are anti-depressants that are also often used to deal with panic attacks.

If you or someone you love is dealing panic attacks, you may be facing a very difficult situation. Panic attacks, though they are natural outgrowths of stress and anxiety can cause you ridicule or a loss in status, no matter how unfair that might be. If you have panic attacks, it is important to take care of the situation immediately and deal with it in a constructive way that doesn't lead to more problems down the road. Panic attacks are certainly no laughing matter, and when you put some real effort into examining them, you will be surprised by how effective you might be.

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