A Sudden Panic Attack Can Be Treated

Panic attack disorders are part of the larger mental illness group known as anxiety. While the term anxiety can be used to mean anything from obsessive compulsive disorders, posttraumatic stress syndrome, and even generalized anxiety disorders, the words panic attack means something much more physical.

While many types of anxiety may include the symptoms of panic, a formal panic attack disorder is normally identified as being uncontrolled. Although certain anxiety types have triggers that can bring on panic, we're talking here about sudden panic attacks that at least on the surface seem to be unrelated to a specific anxiety disorder.

It's not clear if a panic attack episode is caused by the body physically or by the brain mentally or even both. Panic attacks typically come on without warning and disappear almost as fast. Make no mistake however, the symptoms are real.

Panic attacks are associated with physical symptoms that include the following:

Shaking
Feeling that your heart is pounding or racing
Sweating
Chest pain
Shortness of breath
Feeling that you are choking
Nausea
Cramping
Dizziness
Out-of-body feeling
Tingling or numb feeling in your hands
Chills or hot flashes
Dread
Fear
Immediate High Anxiety Emotional State
Feeling of Imminent Death

The symptoms are real, because there caused at least in part by a hormonal release of adrenaline /epinephrine that prepares the body to protect itself from a real or perceived danger. The hormone causes us to breathe faster to deliver more oxygen to the blood. This faster breathing can result in dizziness and hyperventilation along with paresthesia and/or tingling in your hands and feet.

Due to this hormone, your heart will be much more rapidly and you may actually feel the blood coursing through your veins. A pounding heart is normal at this stage.

Treatment for anxiety panic attacks typically involve the use of medications such as benzodiazepines. These drugs are marketed under the names Xanax, Valium and others. Although extremely effective in controlling the panic symptoms, these medications can be very addictive. It's been estimated that as many as 1.5 million Americans yearly become addicted to this class of drugs. They do work however and can help someone short term to help regain control of their life.

Although other medications have been used to treat panic, you would need to visit a climical psychologist and medical professionals to get an accurate diagnosis and develop an effective treatment plan.

Long-term cognitive behavioral therapy has also shown to be effective in dealing with sudden panic attacks. If you think you may be having these type of attacks, it's important that you visit a medical doctor as soon as practical to eliminate the possibility that the symptoms are caused by a physical illness.

Although panic attack symptoms are usually not dangerous, they can be indicators of several serious physical diseases. .

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Electroconvulsive therapy -- A treatment method usually reserved for very severe or psychotic depressions or manic states that often are not responsive to medication treatment. A low-voltage alternating electric current is sent to the brain on an anesthetized patient to induce a convulsion or seizure, which has a therapeutic effect.

Hostility -- The disposition to inflict harm on another person and/or the actual infliction of harm, either physically or emotionally.

Paranoid personality disorder -- People with this disorder are often cold, distant and unable to form close, interpersonal relationships. Often overly suspicious of their surroundings, people with paranoid personality disorder generally cannot see their role in conflict situations and often project their feelings of paranoia as anger onto others.