Posts Tagged ‘anxiety attacks’
Panic attacks are experienced by millions on a daily basis. Many are affected by their panic attacks constantly. Then there are others who will live their full life and not ever say they have panic attacks. What causes this you may ask yourself? What is the causing our bodies to experience panic attacks? Quite often, sufferers believe that the way to get help is to first answer the “why”.
What is a Panic Attack?
There are many symptoms that acompany panic attacks, but the main symptoms are defined as sudden and abrupt feelings of severe discomfort or fear. Sweating, irregular heartbeats, shortness of breath and feeling like you’re going crazy are some of the symptoms one will experience. 10 percent of the population experience some form of panic attacks but, only five percent will develop full panic attack disorders. Many individuals who never experience panic attacks have trouble recognizing the severity, often making them think the effects are highly exaggerated. However, they are claimed as the most frightening things to experience by people who do suffer from panic attacks.
So Why Do People Have Panic Attacks?
Even medical professionals can’t tell you the exact reasons why people go through panic attacks. Even more perplexing, they don’t know what causes some people to experience and others not to. Medical professionals often feel that stress plays a large part in causing panic attacks. Large amounts of stress that accumulates has been shown to cause panic in people. When panic comes unexpecedly, it may surface as a panic attack. “Stress can kill you,” is a phrase I’m sure we’ve all heard before. Unfortunately, it can also cause panic attacks.
Ability to deal with stress and cope with panic are all factors of one’s genetics giving somepeople natural tolerances. And panic attacks are a family affair, as its likely that multiple family members will suffer from them. Your surroundings will factor in whether or not a person suffers from these attacks, but genetics plays a larger role.
High blood pressure is a physical issue that may cause panic attacks. Panic is caused often from high blood pressure raising a persons excitement. Certain vitamin and mineral inadequacies have also been linked to the cause of panic attacks in people. Lacking enough magnesium, for example, has been shown to contribute to panic states.
Panic attacks have also been shown to be linked with thyroid problems. Excessive thyroid hormone, caused by an overactive thyroid gland, leads to irregular heart beats and high blood pressure. Flushing, sweating and panic are generally caused by the preceding symptoms. No matter the reason, panic attacks are cause alot problems in person’s life when left untreated and should be addressed as quickly as possible.
If you would like to learn more information about why people have panic attacks, what a panic attack feels like, or what an anxiety attack feels like, visit our site.
We use the Beck Anxiety Inventory to measure the severity of anxiety. The American professor Aaron Temkin Beck, the founder of this inventory, has a history of research on psychopathology, psychotherapy, suicide and psychotics. Using these studies as starting point he developed cognitive therapy, a cornerstone for Beck Anxiety Inventory and Beck Depression Inventory, and interestingly enough this is the instrument of choice for gauging depression severity.
The Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), is made of of 21 multiple choice questions. A particular kind of psychological test used by mental health professionals is a self-reporting inventory, whereby patients are not allowed to get help during filling out the questionnaire or test. The questionnaire has questions on the patients’ behaviour, symptoms and anything that might give an indication in their personality traits that they have a mental disorder or illness. The patient gives the answers on this self-report inventory and these will be then used on the Beck Anxiety Inventory to assess the correct score.
The test belonging to the Beck Anxiety Inventory has 21 questions and a total score of 63. Anxiety symptoms such as numbness, hot or cold sweats, a feeling of fear and apprehension are only some of the questions the patients are required to work through. Questions may be different, but the choice of answers is always the same for each question. Based on how they felt, the patients chooses the most matching answer. The patients can go with a range of 4 answers: “not at all”, “mildly”, “moderately” to “severely”, with the focus on how much they were bothered when reading the question.
Each symptom that the patient is experiencing is rated on a 4-point scale with a range from 0 to 3 and the ratings sum is counted towards the grand score. A patient can have a maximum score of 63. The Beck Computer Scoring scores and deciphers the Beck Anxiety Inventory. Being a very accurate assessment for panic symptoms, the Beck Anxiety Inventory is used both for adults and adolescents. Even though the test has been used on adults, teenagers and older people, women do score higher points than men on these tests. The Beck Anxiety Inventory is one of the top three methods used to determine and measure anxiety.
This is what the scores indicate about the patients.
0-7 indicates a minimal level of anxiety.
8-15: Mild anxiety.
16-25: Moderate level of anxiety.
26-63: Severe anxiety level.
The main reason for using the Beck Anxiety Inventory is to measure whether we are talking about anxiety or depression, to be able to determine the symptoms for each and which ones are related to anxiety. When the Beck Anxiety Inventory is orally administered, by the means of an interview, it usually takes up to 10 minutes, and if it’s self-administered it takes even less than that. Being used in research or clinical settings it is has the most impact.
Are you interested in learning the signs and symptoms of panic attacks, how to control panic attacks or how to use the zung self rating scale? Check out our site to learn these answers, plus much more.
What is a Phobia?
A phobia ( from the Greek word ëPhobusí, meaning Fear), is an irrational, intense and persistent fear of particular situations, objects, activities or persons.
This overwhelming inhibiting fear that surges inside you is always triggered by something outside oneself. It is this symbolic external representation of an inward anxiety.
How are phobias formed?
Phobias are formed in the early years of development when life is about learning and all experiences are new and challenging.
If a highly stressful, traumatic or charged situation was experienced, a young mind may not have been able to deal with it as we deal with such experiences in our adult lives. The child’s psyche bottles up and represses the associated emotions and thus creates a Phobia which is an intense and uncontrollable fear to deter you from experiencing that situation again.
Social Phobia and Social Anxiety describe a very common problem for people who suffer from the fear of social situations and the interaction with other people that can bring on the fear and anxiety of being judged and criticized by other people; leading to feelings of inadequacy; being put on the spot; being the center of attention; being watched doing something; humiliation; panic attacks and depression.
Social anxiety is the third largest psychological problem in the world today.
When looking into finding out more in regard to anxiety attacks; it is always suggested you do some careful research yourself.
Many people suffer from this traumatic problem in their everyday life and it’s physical effects are represented in people blushing, turning red, dry throat and mouth, palpitations and an overall feeling of intense fear.
The overall external stresses in one’s life ( ie. Job, work, relationships, money) will have a significant effect on the strength of the anxiety within the person, thus the more stresses and strains, the more severe the symptoms and anxieties become.
As a professional and experienced hypnotherapist, social anxiety is by far the most common condition I treat.
Panic Attacks
One of the most common symptoms of anxiety types is the dreaded Panic Attack. Panic attacks are are sudden, discrete periods of intense anxiety.
According to the American Psychological Association panic attack symptoms commonly last approximately ten minutes. However, panic attacks can be as short as 1-5 minutes, while more severe panic attacks may form a cyclic series of episodes, lasting for an extended period, sometimes hours.
Symptoms of a typical Panic Attack would be a sudden intense anxiety or fear; sense of impending doom or disaster; sweating or trembling; pounding heart and chest tightness; shortness of breath; being fixed to a spot; and dizziness to name a few.
Answering Some Basic Questions About Anxiety Attacks
Those of you who have had an anxiety attack, know what it is and how it feels. You know the fear of the heart racing in their chest, and the other symptoms, which combined leave you concerned for your life. You may have been to the doctor and been told it is “all in your head” and then you’ve worried that it truly was all in your head and that you are losing your mind. For those that haven’t suffered with an anxiety attack, it’s difficult to workout what all the fuss is about. Well let’s take a closer look.
What are the Symptoms of an Anxiety Attack?
There are both mental and physical symptoms of an anxiety attack. Either one can be crippling. They can last from only a few seconds to a half hour or longer. The average anxiety attack is around half an hour. They can be mild, or so intense that a trip to the emergency room seems in order. The physical symptoms vary from: chest pains, sweating, racing pulse, shaking or hot/cold flushes. Click here for more on what causes Anxiety Attacks?
The mental symptoms are just as difficult to deal with. Sufferers report feeling like they’re going to lose their mind, they are losing control, going crazy, or going to die. While it’s unlikely the anxiety attack will cause death it can still be paralyzing.The feeling of fear, panic, and dread can leave the sufferer feeling like they’re either going to go crazy or leave them in a state of shock.
What’s at the Root of an Anxiety Attack?
Anxiety attacks can be caused by several things. First, heredity or genetics plays a part. If you have members of your family that have experienced anxiety attacks you may have a greater likelihood of suffering with them also. But those without such connections can also have them. A persons upbringing will have an influence of the risk to an attack. Studies show that those who are raised with a fearful outlook on life and their surroundings are more likely to have this disorder, as are those who have a very passive communication style. Click here to learn more about what causes Anxiety Attacks?
Other physical disoreders can also have an impact. For instance compulsive obsessive disorder, a vitamin B deficiency, post traumatic stress disorder, hypoglycemia or an unbalanced thyroid can cause panic or anxiety attacks. Anxiety attacks can also be caused by chemicals introduced into the body. These include drugs like anti-depressants but also more commonly alcohol, nicotine and caffeine.
Lastly, mental issues can also trigger anxiety attacks. Things like phobias, previous panic attacks, or a significant loss or life change (like the death of a spouse) can cause an attack to occur.
If you would like more information please visit our Anxiety homepage.
Lots of people are surprised to purchase peppermint essential oil. This is understandable because peppermint essential oil is hugely popular and so a great number of people have become obsessed with finding out whether buying peppermint essential oil will prove to be a wise choice. They need not worry because there are many proven benefits to using peppermint essential oil to cure a whole range of different ailments and so it is therefore a good idea to find out more about the benefits that you can hope to derive after having bought peppermint essential oil.
Buy Peppermint Essential Oil And Cure Many Diseases
First of all it is necessary to find out where peppermint essential oil comes from and how is it obtained. Peppermint essential oil is prepared by distillation of the peppermint plant leaves. Once you have bought peppermint essential oil you can then try this wonderful essential oil to cure a number of diseases and the simplest use of peppermint essential oil is to cure headaches which is really a notable benefit as it obviates the need to take recourse to using medicines to cure the headache.
Even if you are suffering from jet lag or you are down with motion sickness then buying peppermint essential oil and using it will help you get welcome relief and in addition another notable benefit to using peppermint essential oil is that it can prevent anxiety attacks as well as cans considerably reduce bouts of nausea.
Having bought peppermint essential oil and then studied the benefits of this wonderful essential oil it is then necessary to find out how to properly apply and use peppermint essential oil. The fact is that you actually do not even need to buy peppermint essential oil because peppermint is something that is included in ice creams and teas as well as is sold in capsules and by consuming these products you can get all the benefits. Although peppermint essential oil can be used in getting relaxation from muscle aches, from migraine attacks as well as from aching teeth and from bad breath.
Using peppermint essential oilprovides numerous benefits and so the demand for this product is high. It makes sense to purchase peppermint essential oil online as the shopping experience is convenient quick and more effective. In fact, if you buy peppermint essential oil from an Internet based outlet you stand a better chance of getting your peppermint essential oil at a rather cheaper rate while quality is not in any way compromised.
There are many types of anti-anxiety medication since drugs are usually the first to use when suffering from an intense and unexpected panic attack. However, tranquilizers represent just a temporary relief method that can only be used in perfect safety for a very short period of time, due to the high risk of side effects. Here are some of the paradoxical and troublesome adverse reactions related with the administration of panic medications in general. While the major benefit from their use is the state of calm and relaxation, sometimes drugs can relax you to the extent that you feel drowsy all the time.
Slow reflexes, poor coordination and fatigue are typical anxiety prescription side effects resulting from the drugs blocking some specific chemical secretion in the brain. Some people also complain about impaired thinking, confusion, dizziness and disorientation, not to mention the impossibility to drive or operate machines. The long-term use of anti-anxiety medication can also cause depression with or without suicidal feelings. The problem is that such drugs not only prevent anxiety attacks but also make it impossible for one to feel pleasure or even pain, which can often go hand in hand with depression.
There are also some unexplained paradoxes in some people’s reactions after the administration of anti-anxiety medication. For instance, tranquilizers are supposed to induce calm and relaxation, but in certain cases drugs can increase the agitation and the irritability level. Plus, mania, hostility and even rage have been noticed in some cases. Although very rare and equally dangerous, aggressive behaviors and hallucinations are also possible as a result of anti-anxiety medication use. More than half of the paradoxical reactions to anti-anxiety drugs has been reported with children or the elderly, as well as with people that suffer from some developmental disabilities.
Consequently, choosing the treatment well and complementing it with some other form of therapy represent essential stages for the patient’s full recovery, and thus should be considered as priorities for any treatment program or approach. Anti-anxiety medication only eliminates or alleviates symptoms without improving the health condition in any way. The problem or the trigger responsible for the panic attacks is still there, somehow kept under control, and once the medical treatment is discontinued, anxiety will be back all over again. Therefore, all the treatment efforts should be directed towards proper diagnosis and identification of the causes behind the disorder.
A number of years ago one of the founders of Mentors in Motion, a Mr. Val Smith put together a view point on the law of attraction. This concept was termed the Captain and the Crew analysis. If we review this theory, we see that it also fits very well into why we develop levels of stress, anxiety and depression. The process is very simple and easy to understand and is laid out in the following article to show, how do we develop anxiety and depression.
Val’s view point, was to see the human mind as a large circular head on a stick body. The large circular head being divided evenly in half by a horizontal line. The upper half of the circle being the Captain and the lower half the Crew.
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To receive communications two antennas were placed on the top of the head, one with positive receiving power the other negative receiving power. I think we all understand our world runs of electrical impulses or energy movements, thought patterns or verbal communication. In Val’s case, everything we experience or notice is processed through the antennas, via either the positive intake or the negative intake.
External information received by the captain will be either positive or negative and is now altered to reflect the captain’s personal view on the issue. The crews now receive the information from the captain but now with the captain’s slant on the events. Having no other source of reference the crew must accept the news on face value from there captain, as they don’t have the right to challenge what was provided.
If you are suffering with Anxiety then you may want to check out how to recognize an anxiety and panic attack
If the captains as a general negative outlook on life , it is always going to be reflected in his attitude and responses that he provides to the crew, who in turn will forward the negativity in their own actions.
Through continued negative presentations the captain (our primary brain) forces the negative view onto the crew (our subconscious) that causes the sub conscious to develop medical conditions such as high blood pressure, fear, tension and finally anxiety and depression.
Lets use a couple of examples involving the use of the captain and crew proposal.
The impact of negative information, such as your ugly, fed to the captain is for the captain to disregard it and go on or to accept the advise and pass it on to the crew that they are ugly. The crew manifest the image pro vided to them. Having been advised that they are ugly there understanding and image they project is therefore of being ugly, of low self-esteem and the like, in compliance with the captains directive.
Similarly if I thank you (the Captain) for something, telling you how wonderful you are. As the captain you experience this as a positive, and tell the crew the same thing. The crew has no choice but to manifest those feelings of feeling good.
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Looking at stress, anxiety and depression and using Val’s theory, it is your self talk, as the captain, taken up by the crew, your subconscious, that brings about the anxiety, stress and depression. We inherently build the stress we feel through self doubt and disbelief in ourselves which is given to us by others, when they say “you cannot do that”.
They, our mental and perceived fears, build on themselves and will only be stopped ,when the captain provides continual positive input. It is therefore easy to allow our guard to come down and negativity to become a silent invader producing these common disorders.
Alone, Confused and Scared, That’s how I met each new day. There could be any number of people around me, but I would still feel all by myself. There can be lots of people around us, but that lonely feeling persists. Anxiety striking again isn’t it, this persistent stress and anxiety over the smallest of issues, no one who we can talk to who would understand what we’re going through. Some one must know a way on “how to be anxiety free”.
For a really great resource on how to be anxiety free check out my review on the anxiety release method
I thought for a while I was on my own, only to discover millions suffer anxiety issues worldwide. Anxiety and panic attacks are hard to imagine for a non-sufferer, that they strike without warning except for some minor thought that then takes hold and takes over your body, striking as you eat, play or work. People who can understand they hit as you eat, while driving or doing the simplest of things like walking the dog.
You keep thinking, will it stop, why is it always me, why now of all times. My mind always asking, what is happening to me?. Any movement in a public area bringing the terror of “What if I have another anxiety attack”. However, you can’t even hide at home as an attack will come as you rest, while you sleep. Can anyone imagine what its like to wake up in the middle of an attack, when the brain has had free range to think what ever it likes. You just can not convey the feeling in words.
But from the worlds point of view, anxiety is one of those ’sweep it under the carpet’, “embarrassment-type issues, or I think I might-be-going-crazy” feelings. All you find is this silent invisible barrier of denial, it’s a bit embarrassing or lets just sweep it under the carpet and hope it goes away attitude. More importantly, they don’t want to admit they are a long time sufferers also.
How Do You Get On Top Of Anxiety?
It’s all changed now. I know my condition has a name “Anxiety Disorder”. It’s with me from here on in, each day, week and month, until I get control over it. I KNOW that this will be a condition I will most likely have for the REST OF MY LIFE. It will be if I didn’t take action to seek a cure.
To achieve a cure for anxiety disorder the fisrt step is acknowledgement of your disorder for what it is, a medical condition like so many other medical conditions. Realize that it won’t last forever. The attacks all have a trigger that starts them and an end that although leaving one a little confused or anxious we are alive and able to go on.
Anxiety attacks create a situation where you the sufferer loose control over your body. When an attack is triggered, control your position, either lie down or at least sit down, so you cannot fall if your balance is disturbed. Stop what you are, close your eyes to cancel external triggers and keep the focus your mind on your symptoms.
We need to fight the symptoms of the anxiety attack head on. Relax your mussels starting from the toes and working up the body. Feel the mussels relaxing and see them so in your mind. Flex your arms and legs as you tell the mussels to relax while concentrating on nothing but breathing and relaxing mussels.
The battle of the mind is the key to overcoming anxiety. Bring calming and relaxed visual images into your mind, of real events such as a walk on the beach you have taken. The more senses you bring in the less chance there is for the anxiety to remain a focus point in your brain. Practice this visualization so it becomes easy to project and you will see your control grow with every attack as each attack reduces in intensity and duration.
Never feel you have to deal with it on your own. Seek professional advise for assistance and support. Don’t feel stupid for having to call for assistance and support. Medications to control anxiety symptoms in the early stages, help in the mind game and allows quicker response development.
If you suffer from Anxiety, I commend you for making a choice to learn more about what it is. You need to know what to expect, the steps available in achieving a cure and the control you will need to instill in your mind. To control anxiety you must be in control of your mind. Achieve the first steps in this area by;
• Searching out your Trigger Points and what it is about them that affects you
• Understanding and directing your Self Talk
• Building support with loved ones and friends
• Facing each attack knowing it will not harm you
• Forcing uncomfortable situations on yourself
• Facing your fears and seeing them for what they aren’t
You are a person with feelings, a person that just happens to suffer from a anxiety disorder. You deserve the right to be happy and comfortable with your life!. To achieve you life goals you must accept the disorder and develop skills to control the disability.
If you are suffering with Anxiety then you may want to check out the anxiety video coaching program
As a sufferer of an anxiety disorder you earn my respect and admiration in your struggle for a cure. You are a wonderful person for taking steps to educate yourself on this serious illness. Congratulate yourself for a job well done!.
Build your knowledge about anxiety disorders, what medications are available, what treatments can offer assistance to your particular trigger points as each one is different. Control your fears and see how they have, no ability to hurt you if you confront or challenge them.
Do this and you will learn “How To Be Anxiety Free”.
Anyone who’s been through one needs to know how to handle anxiety attacks. Here are a few tips to at least get you started on successfully moving beyond anxiety attacks.
Ideally you’ll soon be free of these episodes. They’ll be ancient history.
To begin, remember that you should to make an appointment with your physician if you haven’t already. Some illnesses can mimic a panic episode but aren’t. You need to be certain that’s not the case with you.
When that’s over with and you’ve had the work up and you know you’re not sick, you can move on to handling the feelings of panic.
Here’s How To Start
You most likely already know about it but I’ll mention deep breathing again here because it is both basic and important. For whatever reason, even people who don’t have anxiety problems don’t take deep enough breaths. With anxiety] [disorders deep breathing is even more necessary because hyperventilation worsens the physical sensations of panic.
Also, focusing on your breathing changes your focus away from your fearful thoughts.
You can get other ideas on How to Stop a Panic Attack at that link. Here I want to give you a very useful approach.
Stop the Vicious Cycle
Anxiety can become a chain event because the mild beginnings of an anxiety episode trigger the expectation that a full-blown attack might be starting. These concerns increase the anxiety, which increases the symptoms, which…
You see how that might go.
A way to halt this chain of events is to act like an interested observer rather than a participant.
Because you’ve seen your doctor and had a thorough check-up, you know as a fact that you don’t have a physical problem.
You’ve also had panic events before and know that as bad as they are you survive them.
Use this knowledge to give yourself permission to just what’s going on instead of getting caught up in it. You’ve had a panic episode before and you got through so you realize you’ll likely survive this.
Observe yourself having the symptoms as if you’re an outsider instead of the one in the middle of it. Experiencing anxiety about the possibility of having a panic attack will only make it worse.
Some people are able to adapt this detached attitude by imagining they’re watching the event in a movie or a play instead of than getting completely caught up in the situation. This detached attitudehelps them keep perspective and know that their anxiety isn’t caused by an actual physical danger.
Having been through panic episodes in the past without long-term consequences is a valid reason reason to question the validity of the current panic attack.
Psychologists often use these rational thoughts to guide people to question the accuracy of the fearful thoughts that accompany a panic attack.
However you can do it on your own even without a therapist.
A Good Place To Go
Obviously this is only one idea. I found a review of an excellent program to free yourself from panic attacks that I highly recommend you check out. Just click that link.
Keep in mind that if you don’t identify with with your symptoms you reduce their effect on you.
One of the most important things you can do about panic attacks is to become knowledgable. Free yourself from panic and anxiety. Go to Panic Attack Release.
There are a lot of medications for anxiety attacks available these days. These treatments definitely help many people. If you have panic attacks, you may find them helpful.
To begin I want to be up-front about my beliefs. I believe these medications are only part of the answer to be used for a limited time to help while other treatments have a chance to take effect.
The good news is that with proper therapy, almost everyone can free themselves from the terror of anxiety attacks.
Commonly, a physician will usually prescribe a drug for these issues that falls into one of two classes: sedatives or antidepressants.
Most of the first class of drugs prescribed are Valium-type drugs. The various drugs vary mostl in onset of action and how long their effects last.
The choice of these drugs varies. Everyone has a different response to a given treatment. A drug that works great for one person may cause significant side effects for someone else.
These drugs work quickly, so they can help if a person is going into a situation that they have had problems before.
The other major class of drugs is an antidepressant. The frequently used antidepressants are serotonin uptake inhibitors.
Serotonin is a compound in the brain that’s part of the way nerve cells communicate with each other.
Decreased serotonin levels may be a cause of depression and anxiety. Serotonin uptake inhibitors raise the levels by slowing the return of serotonin into the cells after it has been released.
Most people have heard of Prozac. It is a serotonin uptake inhibitor. There are many others today. They all have their own characteristics of effects and side effects.
Sometimes finding the medication that’s best for an individual is as much art as science.
One thing serotonin uptake inhibitors have in common is that they don’t work immediately. Usually, it takes at least one or two weeks to start to see results.
Obviously with that type of time framethese aren’t medications to use when you need quick action.
There are some other types of used, but they aren’t used often. These drugs either aren’t as effective as the ones already mentioned or have way too many side effects for most people to tolerate.
Even though the classes of drugs I talked about above are generally well tolerated, you still should find out about the side effects of antidepressants used to treat panic disorders.Follow that link for more information.
Again, remember that it is best practice to use medication as part of an over all treatment plan using other forms of therapy. The medications definitely have their role, but they aren’t the whole answer.
One issue that can come up is what amounts to a psychological dependence.
As I’ve mentioned, a person will use other forms of psychotherapy as well as the medications. As they get better, they might think their improvement is due only to the drugs.
This might make them nervous about stopping the medication for fear of the attacks returning.
This is where it’s important for you to work with the prescribing physician.
Even before you start taking the medication, talk with your therapist about how long you’ll be on it and how you’ll come off it.
Use drugs to treat panic episodes wisely and they can be a great help.
Naturally it’s best if you can get to the point where you don’t need drugs.
There’s a review of an excellent way to do just that at Panic Away Review.
Get more information about anxiety attacks in general and how you can deal with them at Panic Attack Release.