Panic attacks: how can you stop them quickly?

---

Extract from the article: Panic attacks are often debilitating and cause a number of worrying physical and psychological symptoms. Medication, psychotherapy, breathing: what are the best ways to put an end to these anxiety attacks?

---

Panic attacks are often debilitating and cause a number of worrying physical and psychological symptoms. Medication, psychotherapy, breathing: what are the best ways to put an end to these anxiety attacks?

People suffering from anxiety disorders experience excessive fear or worry, leading them to avoid situations that could precipitate anxiety or to develop compulsive rituals that reduce anxiety. ‘These are intense and prolonged feelings of fear and distress that are out of proportion to the actual threat or danger, and interfere with normal daily functioning, including relationships, school activities, work performance, and social and recreational activities", explains Pr Kolou S. Valentin Charles Dassa, Stress Counselor/Psychiatrist at the CHU Campus de Lomé.

A panic attack, sometimes referred to as an ‘anxiety attack’, can be defined as ‘a sudden and very intense anxiety attack, accompanied by numerous physical and psychological symptoms’, says Professor Charles Dassa, Stress Counselor/Psychiatry. “These include palpitations, trembling, an accelerated heart rate and a feeling of suffocation, as well as the fear of losing control of oneself, of going mad, of dying or even the feeling that what is happening to us is not real”, adds the psychiatrist.

A panic attack is characterised by its suddenness and the intensity of its symptoms.It generally lasts between twenty and thirty minutes. For the psychiatrist, “a medical examination by a health professional does not detect any physical illness.Another specificity of this disorder is that the subject does not know the direct cause. So there is an element of irrationality in the fear they feel”.

Nevertheless, it is possible to explain panic attacks scientifically, as they have been extensively studied. They can be understood through the interplay of three sets of factors: biological, psychological and social.

Biological, psychological and social factors

Patients suffering from these attacks have a lower threshold of tolerance to bodily changes. For example, if their heart rate increases, they will notice it much more quickly than others. “As soon as small physiological changes take place, certain beliefs are established. Patients may think that if their heart is beating faster, it must be serious. They end up focusing on this physical sign and its potential implications, which increases the risk of a panic attack”, stresses Pr Kolou S. Valentin Charles Dassa.

What's more, according to the Stress Counselor, “the patient's social environment can also contribute to these anxiety attacks, particularly parental examples.If you've lived in an anxious environment, you're more likely to be anxious yourself.You can be immersed in chronic stress without realising it”.

Chronic panic attacks: “panic disorder”

These recurring anxieties can be very disabling for sufferers. “There is a gradual restriction of movement and fulfilment, for fear that the attacks will recur.For fear of having a panic attack in the car or at a meeting, for example, the person may avoid driving or speaking in public”, says the psychiatrist.

Paradoxically, this constant fear also contributes to the occurrence of attacks. When anxiety becomes permanent, in particular because of this constant anticipation, the problem can turn into a “panic disorder”. Panic attacks become chronic and can occur on a daily basis.

 Treatment and prevention

“Before a diagnosis of panic disorder is made, a physical/somatic illness, particularly an acute one, must be ruled out by means of a medical examination. Before beginning any therapeutic work, the patient must have understood his or her symptoms and their cause”, warns Stress Counselor/Psychiatry.

If they don't, they need to work on them first, through psycho-education. They can be referred to books that help them understand these problems and put them at a distance.  For Pr Kolou Dassa, healthy lifestyle measures are very useful: “stopping or reducing the use of coffee, tea, cola, tobacco and psychostimulants; respecting sleep time; regular sporting activities; relaxation and leisure activities; a balanced diet to avoid overweight and obesity; communicating to resolve/manage difficulties as they arise; not accumulating them”.

Then psychotherapy, as such, can begin. “Depending on their speciality, psychotherapists may offer cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), brief therapy or other therapies. Usually it is carried out by trained medical professionals and clinical psychologists”, stresses the specialist.

Over the course of the sessions, patients are taught to manage their symptoms through practical exercises. For example, “we can have them breathe through a straw to teach them how to manage the feeling of suffocation, and help them understand that having difficulty breathing doesn't necessarily mean they're going to die”, recommends Stress Counselor/Psychiatry. Because no, you can't die from a panic attack.

Patients may have the feeling that they are going to die, but this is a false alarm, a belief held by their psyche.  Therapy therefore also involves the very important task of deconstructing these beliefs. Ultimately, the patient will free themselves from the idea that if they've already had a panic attack, it's bound to happen again. “For a health professional trained in psychotherapy, panic attacks can be treated in a few months, through regular sessions at a set pace’” stresses Professor Charles Kolou Dassa.

Anxiolytic drugs: a useful but insufficient complement

“In the case of frequent panic attacks, medication is sometimes prescribed by a doctor or health worker specialising in mental health. But while they may reduce the symptoms, they don't get to the heart of the problem”, admits the specialist. Anti-anxiety medication can reduce symptoms, but if patients stick to this treatment alone, they don't learn to really manage their panic attacks.

To be most effective, medication should be prescribed as a complement to therapy. Often, the patient will take medication initially, then reduce or stop it as the sessions progress. “Several protocols exist, and these must be adapted to the individual, over a set period, to avoid unfortunate consequences: dependence, tolerance, drowsiness and memory problems. If anxiolytics are only taken at the time of an attack, it's easier to stop taking them than if they were a daily treatment”, stresses the psychiatrist.

 Preventing panic attacks: relaxation and organisation

Prevention is precisely one of the therapist's roles, so that the patient does not become dependent on them. For Pr Dassa, “the therapist must provide the patient with the means to manage the difficult or stressful moments in their life, so that they can regulate their emotions. To avoid having to deal with anxiety attacks again in the future, they need to learn how to organise themselves so as to avoid stress”.

Another important point, he continues: “take time out to relax and look after yourself.The start of the new school year, in particular, is one of the best times for panic attacks.You need to think about taking time out for yourself every day”.

Recipe 1: 1 litre of water.The juice of 02 lemons. 03 sprigs of parsley. 01 root of grated fresh ginger.Bring the water to the boil.  Meanwhile, wash the parsley and grate the ginger.  Infuse the parsley and ginger for around 20 minutes. Strain and add the lemon juice.Drink immediately.Take a glass of this drink twice a day and twice a week (morning on an empty stomach, noon, afternoon and after dinner).

Abel OZIH