Anxiety Attacks, Panic Disorders And Phobias - What Are They And How Are They Treated?

There is quite a range of problems that are referred to as anxiety disorders

. People who suffer from panic disorder have extreme anxiety during their panic attacks, and these attacks happen on a regular basis, weekly or sometimes even daily. Social anxiety disorder happens in a particular situation, when you are in a social situation such as at a party, at work or at school.

If you are afraid in a certain situation or of a certain thing it is known as a phobia. Some of the more well known phobias are agrophobia - the fear of leaving your house, arachnaphobia - the fear of spiders, or claustrophobia - the fear of enclosed spaces. Most phobias are not logical, but even though you realise the fear makes no sense it is impossible to control it.

Another specific anxiety disorder is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder which relates specifically to an event in your life. The event could be a war, kidnap, a car accident, rape, physical or sexual abuse. PTSD can lead to a range of physical symptoms such as sweating and rapid heartbeat, nightmares, and also the feeling that the event is happening all over again.

Anxiety disorders, no matter what kind can be very distressing and debilitating. It can lead to your life being shut down completely, it can stop you from driving, socializing, flying, working or even leaving your house.

One way of treating anxiety attacks is with medication such as anti depressants or anti anxiety drugs. The trouble is these medicines only treat the symptoms; they do not actually treat the anxiety attacks themselves. Because of that you would have to take the medication for ever.

Another option are relaxation techniques where you learn to use breathing exercise and meditation to relax your muscles which in turn relieves tension. Correct breathing also eases hyperventilation which is a symptom of panic attacks caused by rapid breathing.

You could also try cognitive or behaviour therapy. Cognitive therapy entails listening to your thoughts and changing the beliefs and fears that you have that are not useful in your life. For example, if social situations cause you trouble, you could change your belief from "nobody wants to talk to me" to "everyone wants to be my friend".

Behaviour therapy exposes you to your fears one at a time in an attempt to desensitise you to them. You begin with the fear that is the least threatening and analyse exactly what it is that you are afraid of. Cognitive and behavioural therapy are quite difficult to undertake without having constant support and guidance.

There is a way of overcoming your anxiety without taking medication or having to go to therapy: Panic Away by Barry Joe Mc Donagh is a course which teaches you how to break the cycle of anxiety. Barry studied the best psychologists in the world and developed a technique called One Move that will help you to get to an anxiety free life. He also provides unlimited one on one coaching to guarantee that you get there

by: Kate Campbell

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