Women Are More Prone To Have Panic Attacks Than Man

  • Posted on February 19, 2009 at 12:35 am

About 6 million Americans suffer panic attacks.  People with panic attacks often end up in the emergency room because symptoms like difficulty breathing and a racing heartbeat usually happen suddenly and can be overwhelming.

“Panic attacks often mimic the symptoms of heart attacks. Antidepressants have been shown to work,” said Dr. Barbara Milrod, a Psychologist.

Antidepressants like Zoloft are often used to treat panic attacks, so can anti-anxiety drugs like Xanax.

Yoga, meditation and special breathing techniques can help relieve it . Exercise can also help control stress that can trigger a panic attack.

“It’s really important to figure out which kind of relaxation technique is going to work best for you because different ones work better for different people. So deep breathing through an oncoming attack may help to calm you or distracting yourself by doing a crossword puzzle might be a better solution,” said Jenny Cook, with Good Housekeeping.

Women are twice as likely to have panic attacks than men, and there’s a genetic component. They tend to run in families. But with therapy, 75 percent of patients do get better.

Source: CBS3

Share/Save/Bookmark

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

What is panic attacks ?

  • Posted on February 4, 2009 at 12:13 am

Panic attacks is one of the most crippling disorders of mankind,  according to Dr Michael Corry. He says “A panic attack is a meltdown, where the levels of adrenaline get so high that there is a blow-out.”

Common symptoms of panic attacks include: racing or pounding heartbeat; dizziness and lightheadedness; tingling in the hands, arms, feet, legs; sweaty palms, flushed face; terror, fear of losing control.

Professor Timothy Dinan, a psychiatrist at Cork University Hospital, says that many of his patients have been through Accident & Emergency departments before they reach his clinic.

“They become revolving-door patients. They go to a variety of physicians for investigations, and have, sometimes, expensive and time-consuming tests that come back negative. It may be a long time before they accept the idea that it may be something psychological that is wrong with them,” he says.

Panic disorder is easy to treat when you catch it early on. But if they have been having untreated attacks for six or 12 months, the outcome can be much worse than if it is treated when someone has had just three or four attacks, according to Professor Timothy Dinan.

Panic attacks quite often lead to agoraphobia — fear of open spaces.

Dr Aine Tubridy, author of When Panic Attacks, is often contacted by people who tell her they have not left their house for months. “It’s awful,” she says. “People feel defeated by panic, and that, ultimately, can lead to depression.”

She often sees teenagers with panic attacks. “It can happen when they are forming their identity,” she says. “With the stresses teens have now, panic attacks have become more commonplace. Teens need approval from their peers.”

Alcohol and drugs don’t help. “People on mind-altering drugs may then get panic attacks,” says Dr Tubridy. “They may not like that blurring of boundaries. They panic, then think they have done some damage to their brain. They feel they can’t confide in their parents.”

Source: Independent

Share/Save/Bookmark

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Symptoms and Causes Of Panic Attacks

  • Posted on January 29, 2009 at 6:05 am

Panic attack is not a disease but an intense fear or physiological distress. They are episodic in nature. The onset of a panic attack is usually sudden and lasts from ten minutes to thirty minutes.

The cause of a panic attack can be pharmacological or psychological. They are usually caused by the fear of something or phobias. Biological condition can also be the culprit sometimes.  Many times, the cause depends upon the person and his situation.

The symptoms for panic attack are usually the same even though the cause might be different. Some of the symptoms are tingling sensations, choked throat, shortness of breadth, trembling etc. Panic attacks are the most terrifying and distressing psychological episodes.

Fortunately, it is possible to treat panic attacks. Breathing exercises help a lot to overcome panic attacks. In severe cases, medication needs to be given to the patients for their well being.

Medication by itself cannot do the magic; the will power of the person to come out of the fearful circle of panic attacks is very important. You need to believe in yourself that you can do it, only then you will be able to come out of the dark tunnel of the panic attacks.

Source: Health Fun & Success

Share/Save/Bookmark

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!