What are Panic Attacks?

Panic attacks are triggered by anxiety, and can range from extremely mild, to mentally debilitating. There are 40 million Americans who suffer from anxiety in one form or another, and about two thirds of them never seek out any form of treatment. This can be a huge mistake, and can lead to much higher stress levels, self-perpetuating anxiety cycles, and panic attacks.

A panic disorder is a form of anxiety that presents itself as a series of panic attacks, and spirals out of control by paralyzing the body with the fear of future attacks, and can actually lead to future panic attacks. Magnifying that fear is the fact that panic attacks can feel eerily similar to heart attacks, and have many identical symptoms – dizziness, fast heartbeat, and excessive sweating. With panic attacks, a medical exam usually comes up with nothing, which is another factor that can lead to increased anxiety.

Sometimes people are so paralyzed with fear of the next panic attack that they can make rash decisions to try to prevent the next attack. Panic attack sufferers have been known to quit their jobs, disengage themselves socially, and generally stop leaving the house. All these actions can actually increase the chances of suffering from another panic attack, and can potentially maximize the damage.

Panic disorder required immediate attention. The problem will not go away on its own. Panic disorder treatment usually involves a dual approach of therapy and anti-anxiety medications, such as Prozac or Zoloft . Anti-anxiety medication alone can treat panic attacks for the short term, but don’t think that you can solve your anxiety issues by simply popping a generic Prozac pill twice a day. Therapy is an essential and integral part of any anti-anxiety regimen, and you will not be able to treat panic attacks in the long term without it, so don’t skimp!