Panic Treatment Options

By Greg Anderson

Anxiety and one of its key symptoms - panic attacks ? need treatment. The most obvious reason to seek treatment for anxiety is to eliminate the often crippling impact it has on sufferers? lives. An equally important reason is that without treatment, anxiety sufferers risk of developing even more serious anxiety-based disorders and behavioral problems. It is essential to seek an effective treatment for anxiety that will address current symptoms and prevent them worsening.

Finding the treatment that you feel comfortable with is very important in the treatment of anxiety. There are several effective options available, and it is just a matter of finding the one that is the best fit for your situation. If you find one treatment ineffective, you will likely find another an ideal solution. There is something out there for every patient.

Being at ease with your anxiety treatment is of course a key element of how successful it will be.

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

Some patients find that hypnosis is a good option to handle their anxiety problems. Since this method does not use addictive medication, it is sometimes favored over the medicine approach. Hypnotherapy treats anxiety by utilizing deep relaxation exercises to place a patient into a calm state wherein they can explore the motivation for their anxiety. Following that, Hypnotic suggestion is employed to convince the brain to handle anxiety differently.

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

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.

Cognitive therapy for anxiety and panic attack sufferers typically involves exercises with timetables to ensure progress but it can be a lengthy process. However, it is an anxiety treatment that safely and effectively addresses the root causes of anxiety and provides a lasting, usually life-long solution. - 30535

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