Anxiety is a serious medical problem. Panic attacks, which are one of the effects of Anxiety disorder, must be treated or they will often become much worse. It is not uncommon for anxiety attacks to spin out of control until they have taken over a person’s life. Getting help to stop panic attacks is essential, so that they are not allowed to worsen.
With any medical condition, the right treatment will often depend on the patient. Treatment must be chosen based on what the patient and his or her doctor both feel is right. Even if one of the below approaches fails, there will be another that will work for you.
Feeling positive and hopeful in regards to your treatment is a good indicator of the level of success it will have.
Here are the main options for the treatment of anxiety:
Medications Prescribed for Anti-Anxiety
A large number of medications are designed to treat anxiety. These drugs are primarily found in the benzodiazepine family, and include such medications as Xanax, Valium, and Ativan. Some other drugs are not designed exclusively for the purpose of treating anxiety or panic attacks, but do have the side effect of reducing anxiety levels, such as anti-depressants. Generally these drugs are taken as needed, but sometimes are taken on a regular schedule so as to reduce constant anxiety problems.
Using medication to treat anxiety can be effective, but it is not really a long term solution. These drugs can be very addictive, and should not be taken for extended periods. Additionally, such medications are not able to stop the core causes of anxiety, they just deal with the symptoms.
Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy for Anxiety
Many patients consider hypnosis an excellent drug free option for the treatment of anxiety. Hypnotherapy fights anxiety by using deep relaxation to allow a person to be open to sharing the causes behind the anxiety. Hypnotic suggestion is then used to make the brain respond to those causes in a different way.
Unfortunately, anxiety tends to prevent hypnosis from working in many cases. Anxiety sufferers have a hard time allowing themselves to be “put under”, due to the fear of losing control. Hypnotherapy does not tend to have a high success level in dealing with panic attacks. Hypnotherapy will usually not be enough to combat panic attacks unless it is accompanied by another aggressive method of therapy, such as CBT, aimed at eliminating the panic attacks.
Self-hypnosis exercises practiced in the safe and familiar environment of home can provide some relief from anxiety but again, does little for acute anxiety expressed as panic attacks.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, is often used in anti-anxiety treatment and is one of the more popular treatments today. CBT based programs help the patient to respond differently to their anxiety and panic attack triggers. CBT looks for the faulty thought patterns that allow anxiety to occur,and help the patient to change these patterns.
While CBT is a highly effective way to treat anxiety and panic attacks for many people, it does take time. Usually, the patient will need to commit to brain exercises, done on a schedule. If the patient is willing to put forth the effort, however, this is a way to stop anxiety and panic attacks for good.
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