love rb
Brings Back Bad Memories for me reading this!
But Its very informative Amanda, My panic attacks came when I just thought about going outside, Im so glad Im over it now, It was the worst time of my life.
Im Here For all of you who suffer from any of these things,Ive been there I know
Diagnosing Psychiatric Disorders
Find out exactly how psychiatrists diagnose disorders and why diagnosis is important for patients.
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Anxiety disorders are some of the most treatable psychiatric disorders. More than 80% of anxious people improve with treatment. Before beginning treatment it is important to get a thorough evaluation to rule out potential causes of anxiety (illnesses, medications, alcohol), and to evaluate for the presence of other psychiatric disorders. Many individuals with anxiety disorders also experience depression and substance use disorders. Also, many individuals have more than one anxiety disorder.
The most common types of treatment are psychotherapy and medication, and often both are used together. Treatment must be tailored for each individual, but there are some standard approaches.
- Behavior therapy helps individuals modify and gain control over the anxiety. Often this involves teaching individuals how to cope with the anxiety upon exposure to the feared situation. Relaxation techniques are frequently taught.
- In cognitive therapy the focus is on the person's thought patterns, and learning to identify how one's thoughts may be distorted or unrealistic.
Many therapists use the techniques of both behavior and cognitive therapy to treat anxiety disorders. Many different medications are used to treat anxiety disorders, and often they are used along with cognitive-behavior therapy.
Stress and anxiety are a normal part of life. When anxiety is not too severe it can be beneficial because it motivates you to prepare for a situation. Without feeling somewhat nervous about an upcoming test or giving a talk at your job you would not prepare and you would perform less well. However, when the feelings of stress and anxiety become overwhelming they can interfere with your ability to function and you may be suffering from an anxiety disorder.
Anxiety disorders can cause significant suffering and impairment and can reduce a person's productivity at home or at work, may result in job loss and can disrupt relationships with family and friends. Although anxiety disorders are among the most common and treatable of disorders, they are often not diagnosed, and proper treatment is not received.
The symptoms of a panic attack often lead many people to believe they may be having a heart attack or stroke, passing out, going crazy or about to lose control of themselves. Not surprisingly, by the time they are properly diagnosed, panic disorder patients have often had many trips to the emergency room and spent a lot of time and money in doctor's offices trying unsuccessfully to find an answer for their symptoms.
A panic attack is time-limited, usually only lasting a few minutes, and thus is different from the chronic worrying-type of anxiety that some people experience.
There are many different symptoms that may occur during a panic attack, and it is rare for someone to experience all of them. During a panic attack the individual experiences at least 4 of the following 13 symptoms:
- heart racing, pounding, or fluttering
- sweating
- trembling or shakiness
- feeling smothered
- choking feelings
- chest pain, pressure, tightness, or discomfort
- nausea, stomach upset, or diarrhea
- dizziness, faintness, or light-headedness
- hot flashes or chills
- feeling things around you were unreal
- fear of going crazy or losing control
- fear you might die
- numbness or tingling in your fingers or toes
Panic attacks can occur for a variety of reasons and are part of many different anxiety disorders. Having panic attacks is not the same as being diagnosed with panic disorder. In fact, only half of individuals who experience panic attacks are diagnosed with panic disorder.
Panic disorder is one of the most treatable psychiatric disorders. Between 80% to 90% of people with panic disorder improve with treatment. Both medication and psychotherapy are proven in the treatment of panic disorder.
Before beginning treatment it is important to get a thorough evaluation to rule out potential causes of anxiety (medical illnesses, medications, caffeine, alcohol withdrawal), and to evaluate for the presence of other psychiatric disorders. Other anxiety disorders, depression, and substance use disorders are common in people with panic disorder.
- Medication
There are more than a dozen medications that are effective. Some medications (called antidepressants, though they are also very effective in treating anxiety disorders such as panic disorder) do not work immediately. Antidepressant medications generally take three to six weeks to become fully effective. Benzodiazepines such as Xanax, Valium, and Klonopin, on the other hand, work quickly. A disadvantage of the benzodiazepines is that they cause physical dependence while antidepressants do not. If one medication does not work that does not mean that another medication will not work. Sometimes it is necessary to combine medications to achieve maximum therapeutic effect.
More about antidepressant medications - Psychotherapy
Cognitive-behavior therapy is the best-studied psychotherapy for panic disorder. Treatment includes education about the causes and physiology of anxiety, and the psychology of panic disorder. Many individuals with panic disorder fear that they will die, have a heart attack or faint when having a panic attack. Understanding the biology of anxiety helps reduce this anxiety. - Relaxation Exercises
Treatment also involves learning relaxation exercises such as deep muscle relaxation and controlled breathing. The relaxation techniques need to be practiced if they are to be maximally effective. Thus, during treatment the therapist often assigns homework exercises. - Trigger Release
Treatment also includes exposure to the physical symptoms of anxiety or the situations that trigger the panic attack. In the office the therapist might work with the patient to reproduce the initial physical symptoms of the panic attack so it can be learned first-hand that the physical symptom is not something to be feared. This first-hand learning by exposing the person to the fear is critical to being convinced that the physical symptoms of the panic attack are not dangerous and that they are controllable. Exposure is always done gradually, and not before the tools of relaxation and education about panic are well developed and the patient feels ready.
Agoraphobia frequently develops in persons with panic disorder. People with agoraphobia avoid (or try to avoid) situations that they think might trigger a panic attack, or situations from which they think escape might be difficult if they have a panic attack.
At the extreme, individuals with agoraphobia are afraid to leave the house. More commonly, individuals with agoraphobia avoid certain situations such as crowded places, being more than a certain distance from home, highway driving, waiting on lines, or being home alone. Alternatively, individuals with agoraphobia may be willing to be in the situation if they are with someone who can help them in the event of a panic attack.
The difference between agoraphobia and other types of phobias is that in agoraphobia the fear is of having a panic attack in the situation whereas in other phobias (such as insects, flying, heights, etc.) the fear is of the situation or object.
