ANXIETY AND PANIC ATTACKS CONTINUED

I WISH WE HAD A CRYSTAL
BALL TO SEE WHAT OUR
FUTURE HOLDS
HOW LONG WILL IT
TAKE ME TO HEAL?

PANIC DISORDER

PANIC DISORDER IS CHARACTERIZED BY SUDDEN EPISODES OF ACUTE APPREHENSION OR INTENSE FEAR THAT OCCUR"OUT OF THE BLUE" WITHOUT ANY APPARENT CAUSE. INTENSE PANIC USUALLY LAST NO MORE THAN A FEW MINUTES,BUT, IN RARE INSTANCES,CAN RETURN IN "WAVES" FOR A PERIOD OF UP TO TWO HOURS. ITS IMPORTANT TO RECOGNIZE THAT PANIC DISORDER,BY ITSELF,DOES NOT INVOLVE ANY PHOBIAS.THE PANIC DOESN'T OCCUR BECAUSE YOU ARE THINKING ABOUT APPROACHING,OR ACTUALLY ENTERING A PHOBIC SITUATION. INSTEAD,IT OCCURS UNEXPECTEDLY FOR NO APPARENT REASON. YOU MAY HAVE ONE PANIC ATTACK WITHOUT EVER HAVING ANOTHER ONE AGAIN OR WITHOUT HAVING ANOTHER ONE FOR YEARS. OR YOU MAY HAVE SEVERAL ATTACKS FOLLOWED BY A PANIC-FREE PERIOD,ONLY TO HAVE THE PANIC RETURN A MONTH OR TWO LATER. SOMETIMES AN INITIAL ATTACK MAY BE FOLLOWED BY RECURRING ATTACKS THREE OR MORE TIMES PER WEEK UNREMITTINGLY UNTIL YOU SEEK TREATMENT. IN ALL OF THESE CASES,THERE IS A TENDENCY TO DEVELOP 'ANTICIPATORY ANXIETY' OR APPREHENSION BETWEEN PANIC ATTACKS FOCUSING ON FEAR OF HAVING ANOTHER ONE.

YOU ARE ABOUT TO HAVE YOUR
FIRST PANIC ATTACK!
TRY TO REMAIN CALM!!!

FIRST PANIC ATTACK

WHEN YOU HAVE YOUR FIRST
PANIC ATTACK,THIS IS WHERE
YOU'LL PROBABLY HEAD FOR

IF YOU ARE SUFFERING FROM PANIC DISORDER,YOU MAY BE FRIGHTENED BY YOUR SYMTOMS AND CONSULT WITH DOCTORS TO FIND A MEDICAL CAUSE.HEART PALPITATIONS AND AN IRREGULAR HEARTBEAT MAY LEAD TO EKG AND OTHER CARDIAC TESTS,WHICH IN MOST CASES,TURN OUT NORMAL.(SOMETIMES MITRAL VALVE PROLAPSE, A BENIGN ARRHYTHMIA OF THE HEART,MAY COEXIST WITH PANIC DISORDER.) FORTUNATELY, AN INCREASING NUMBER OF PHYSICIANS HAVE SOME KNOWLEDGE OF PANC DISORDER AND ARE ABLE TO DISTINGUISH IT FROM PURELY PHYSICAL COMPLAINTS. ================================ A DIAGNOSIS OF PANIC DISORDER IS MADE ONLY AFTER POSSIBLE MEDICAL CAUSES HAVE BEEN RULED OUT. ====================================== THE CAUSES OF PANIC DISORDER INVOLVE A COMBINATION OF HEREDITY, CHEMICAL IMBALANCES IN THE BRAIN, AND PERSONAL STRESS. SUDDEN LOSSES OR MAJOR LIFE CHANGES MAY TRIGGER THE ONSET OF PANIC ATTACKS.

MEDICINES ARE VERY IMPORTANT

THE BIGGEST PROBLEM WITH MEDICATIONS ARE WHEN A PERSON STARTS TO FEEL BETTER,THEY MAY STOP TAKING THE MEDICATION,NOT KNOWING THATS WHY THEY ARE FEELING BETTER.YOU CAN'T GO COLD TURKEY ON THESE TYPES OF MEDICATIONS.YOU HAVE TO TAPER OFF,BUT
ONLY THE DOCTOR MAKES THAT DECISION.

MEDICATIONS OF ALL THE ANXIETY DISORDERS,PANIC DISORDER IS THE ONE FOR WHICH PRESCRIPTION MEDICATIONS ARE MOST FREQUENTLY GIVEN. PANIC ATTACKS CAN BE REDUCED OR EVEN BLOCKED BY TWO DIFFERENT TYPES OF MEDICATIONS: ANTIDEPRESSANTS SUCH AS IMIPRAMINE (TOFRANIL) OR MINOR TRANQUILIZERS SUCH AS ALPRAZOLAM (XANAX) .THE PROBLEM WITH MEDICATIONS IS THAT WHEN THEY ARE WITHDRAWN, EVEN AFTER BEEN TAKEN FOR SIX MONTHS TO A YEAR, PANIC ATTACKS OFTEN RETURN. THIS IS MORE OFTEN THE CASE WITH TRAQUILIZERS THAN WITH ANTIDEPRESSANT MEDICATIONS. MILDER CASES OF PANIC DISORDER MAY BE HELPED WITHOUT MEDICATION. BY REDUCING STRESS AND IMPROVING YOUR PHYSICAL HEALTH. YOU CAN INCREASE YOUR RESISTANCE TO PANIC ATTACKS. ====================================== THE HARDEST PART OF GOING ON MEDICATIONS,IS YOU MAY NOT FIND THE RIGHT ONE FOR YOURSELF THAT WORKS. WORKING CLOSELY WITH YOUR DOCTOR IS WHAT IT TAKES. THE DOSAGE AND THE TYPE OF MEDICATION DEPENDS ON VARIOUS THINGS. BUT MOSTLY IT DEPENDS ON YOU!! WHAT YOU TELL THE DOCTOR ABOUT HOW YOU ARE FEELING. THEN ADJUSTMENTS CAN BE MADE. IF YOU DON'T TALK TO THE DOCTOR WHO ELSE IS GOING TO KNOW WHAT YOU NEED? ====================================

IF YOU HAVE ANXIETY OR PANIC ATTACKS

HERE IS WISHING YOU GOOD LUCK
THAT YOU ARE ABLE TO GET
CONTROL.NOT LET IT CONTROL YOU!!

THEIR IS ALWAYS SOME ONE WHO CARES

SINCE YOU ARE SEEING THIS ONLINE
IF YOU NEED SOMEONE TO LISTEN
I HAVE A GOOD EAR.
IF YOU NEED SOME FEED BACK
EMAIL ME JSUNSHINE@WEBTV.NET
OR IF ITS LATE EVENING OR EARLY
MORNING YOU WILL FIND ME IN
TALK CITY IN OPEN SUPPORT.
" I CARE "