How To Treat Panic Attacks And Agoraphobia

  Agoraphobia is often believed to be having the fear of crowded public places. Although, when it relates to Panic Attacks what it really means is the fear of having another Panic Attack in a particular place.

For example, it might be that you're afraid an attack will occur at a shopping mall, and this will cause you to avoid shopping malls altogether. It can be anything, from sports stadiums, driving, places far from home, places with lots of people or places where you're alone, that you believe where an attack might strike.

Treating Agoraphobia

Avoiding these situations isn't enough. Your natural instinct maybe to confide yourself at home, and not go anywhere without a safe person. This may provide relief from attacks temporarily, but, it's not the best way to deal with the problem. What you really need to do is to overcome your fear.

To overcome agoraphobia, you shouldn't dive headfirst into situations that frighten you. Instead, identify your safe places and make a plan to expand them. If it's your house, stay home and allow yourself to begin making small trips around the neighborhood. Take short walks, and gradually expand the distance. When you start to feel more confident, make "missions" for yourself. For example, go to the local convenience store and buy something, or push yourself to make it to the local park and back. Keep pushing the boundaries, but use your safe place when you need it.

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A safe person can also help. Take them with you to the places that trigger your panic attacks. A few repeated trips with your good friend or loved one can help show you that there's nothing to be afraid of. Gradually, you can visit these places by yourself.

There are also long term ways to treat panic attacks and agoraphobia. These include psychotherapy, medications and coping mechanisms that will help you relax.

Cognitive And Behavioral Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy has always been the most common and most effective way to treat panic attacks and agoraphobia. You might have a long-ago trauma lurking at the heart of these anxiety problems, and a good therapist can help to get them out of you and out in the open.

Two types of psychotherapy are often used, cognitive therapy and behavioral therapy. Cognitive therapy is the traditional type, where you talk to the doctor about things from the past. The therapist's job is to listen, ask questions and get you to bring out any troubles.

Behavioral therapy is a little more radical in its approach, and it's considered by many mental health professionals to be the only way to treat panic attacks and agoraphobia. With behavioral therapy, the doctor pushes you out of your comfort zone in stages. By giving you small doses of panic and letting you dealt with those, it prepares you gradually to defeat panic attacks by yourself.

Medications Used To Treat Agoraphobia

Medications work best to treat panic attacks and agoraphobia when they're used together with psychotherapy. Pharmaceuticals are a "band-aid," offering short-term relief but not really addressing deeper problems. Medications can help you deal with anxiety on a day-to-day basis, but they don't get to the root causes like psychotherapy does.

The most common medications used to treat panic attacks and agoraphobia are anti-anxiety drugs such as Ativan and Klonopin. They are highly effective against anxiety disorders and carry a low risk of side effects. Most patients feel slightly sleepy for the first few days, but after that things are fine. They are also not habit forming.

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One class of medications designed especially for agoraphobia are MAOIs. These are monoamine oxidase inhibitors, and they include the drugs Marpan, Nardil, Rivivol and Aurorix. They are anti-depressants that also help with social anxiety disorders, and clinical trials have shown few side effects.

Coping Mechanisms

Coping mechanisms and relaxation techniques have made a world of difference for many people. These are simple techniques that you can practice and master all by yourself, and they can come in handy when you need them. The idea is to relax your mind and body, and allow you to take control when anxiety strikes. They also offer a great alternative to medications.

The most recommended relaxation technique is deep breathing. If you can take control of your breathing when an attack hits, you can gradually get control of everything and land the plane with no problem. Techniques such as meditation, yoga, deep breathing, visualization, self-hypnosis and positive affirmations can train you to master your own mind. They can significantly allow you to cut down on daily stress and anxiety.

Therapy, medications and coping mechanisms have all gotten results. If you want to treat panic attacks and agoraphobia completely, psychotherapy is your best bet. But if you want to develop lifelong stress and anxiety reduction strategies, look into relaxation techniques and coping mechanisms.