Which one is right for you?

Which anxiety or panic attack treatment should you choose?

For most of us it comes as a shock that physically there is nothing wrong with us. We really are well. This is very hard to accept.

Why?

Because every fibre in our bodies is telling us - shouting, actually - that something has happened or is about to happen.

Our bodies are right … but off-track. The ’something’ lies on a different level than the bodily. And this is not palatable at all. Why? Because it borders on being weak or even mentally unbalanced. We’d rahter be ill than weak.

Admitting to the ‘weakness’ of succumbing to panic attacks is humiliating. It makes us feel incompetent and inadequate, and frighteningly exposed.

Often it takes us a long time to reach the point that we will admit that we are experiencing anxiety panic attacks. Many of us go the route of visiting every kind of specialist, hoping that one of them will pinpoint our exact problem. When none does and when all tests show nothing most of us try alternative therapists.

Sometimes a therapy may give temporary relief but usually our fear that something is wrong returns and we get another panic attack. Which proves to us that they are wrong, they do not know what they are talking about. Something is wrong. We know it.

One or two doctors, even all of them, may diagnose us correctly as suffering from anxiety and consequent panic attacks. But we won’t believe them – we’d rather search for the ‘real’ cause of our symptoms.

Yes, we have a hard time accepting that we need help on the emotional side, rather than for a physical illness.

Eventually we reach that point - if we are lucky, open-minded and intelligent, or if we are close to someone who cares enough to gently help us see the truth.

When that time comes we are faced with dealing with our panic attacks and deciding on treatment options. What anxiety treatments are available to us? How do we compare panic treatments? How do we choose the best treatment for our anxiety symptoms and panic attacks?

Here is a short overview of panic attack treatments and options:

Anxiety therapy falls in three main categories:

1. Treating Anxiety with Self-Help
2. Treating Anxiety with Behavior Modification
3. Treating Anxiety with Medication

The good news: all three approaches work. Some anxiety treatments may be more suitable for one person than for another.

Take medication as an example. You in particular may:

• Not want to use anxiety medications.
• Not want to use medication for the rest of your life, particularly if you are young.
• Worry about combining different medications, as they might interact. This is a particular concern if you are using chronic medication for conditions such as diabetes
Yet
• Yet many of us will undoubtedly need to be on medication, at least initially.
• Most of us will be able to stop our medication after a period of around 18 months – if we’ve mastered the self-help techniques of handling an anxiety attack.
• A few of us will need medication permanently.
Whatever your situation remember:
there is no shame in using medication for anxiety, like there is no shame in using heart medication. If we need it we use it.

The general consensus is that treatment should be two-pronged: while medication is useful and even necessary behavior modification is absolutely essential. No-one should be on medication only!

There are two approaches to behavior modification: self-help and guided help by a therapist of psychologist.

Quick overview of the two non-medicated approaches to treating anxiety and panic attacks

Self-help guides
Anxiety therapy is not rocket science. Most of us can help ourselves, with some guidance like a self-help guide. A good self-help guide is an excellent solution for the intelligent, perceptive panic attack sufferer. If you can face your problem head-on and bravely a self-help guide is the perfect tool to change behavior.

Advantages of Getting Your Own Self-Help Panic Attack Guide

• Privacy: Many of us are deeply (although mistakenly) ashamed of our ‘weakness’. A self-help guide teaches us in privacy the techniques we need to master to overcome our anxiety. We don’t have to face a strange therapist, go into stressful situations such as therapy and expose our innermost selves to an outsider.
• Help wherever we are: Not all of us live in big cities where therapists specializing in anxiety are available. And if we live in medium-sized communities with available therapists, they may not be well-trained to treat anxiety - or we may not wish to be treated by an acquaintance or colleague.
• Progress at our own pace: We don’t have to improve in weekly increments, at each appointment. A self-help guide lets us absorb and master information and techniques as fast as we are able to, without anxiety-causing pressure.
• Available whenever we need it: We don’t have to wait until we can get an appointment. We can consult our self-help guides over weekends, at night, on public holidays, over the holiday season, where we holiday … whenever we feel an increase in anxiety.
• Available where we need it: We can keep our guide at work, in the car, next to our bed, or take it along on visits and holidays. We can have the support we need with us, right when we need it.
• Available without end : We can refer back to our self-help guide a year from now, or ten years from now. Our guide does not stop. We do not need to schedule more new appointments. It does not have to be prescribed again. Once we have it is always within reach.

However, not all self-help guides are equal. You need a good one. We recommend:

Panic Away, the system developed by Joe Barry, who suffered from Panic Attacks himself for years, before developing the techniques that have helped over 27 000 people.
Check it out!

Guided help

Many therapists are knowledgeable in helping patients overcome anxiety. Some are highly trained, and will make a huge difference. Most will recommend that you read some books on anxiety attacks and/or provide you with a self-help guide on overcoming anxiety, as an adjunct to therapy for anxiety attacks.

Advantages

• An experienced, trained person guides you through it. The therapist is trained to pinpoint your particular problem and should be able to see when and why you are stalling.
• A therapist specifically trained in interoceptive desensitization may cure you by desensitisation. This requires specialist training, and works best for people who can pinpoint their anxiety and panic attacks to a certain incident.

Disadvantages

• Expensive
• Weekly appointments. You may be ready for more, or not want to work as fast, or need him when he is not available (think weekends, nights, holidays). You may also feel pressurized to ‘improve’ every week.
• Lack of rapport between you, especially if you are obliged to use an in-house therapist or hospital-appointed therapist or a therapist on contract with your organisation, who may be obliged to file a report to your superiors on your mental capabilities.
• Time aspect. You need to be available during normal office hours, and on a regular basis. This may just not be possible in your work or professional situation - particularly if you do not want to explain to your colleagues that you are a panic attack sufferer.
• Therapy stops eventually. After six to twelve weeks therapy usually comes to an end. This leaves you with nothing concrete to fall back on when the therapist is not available.

Medication

Pharmaceuticals
There are many medications suitable for anxiety treatment. New ones and new generics enter the market regularly. It is best to follow your physician’s recommendations.

However, here are the main ones:

• Benzodiazepines such as diazepam, lorazepam, alprazolam and clonazepam
• SSRIs such as paroxetine, sertraline, fluvoxamine, escitalopram and fluoxetine
• SNRIs such as venlafaxine
• NaSSAs such as Mitrzapine

Advantages

• Most work fast and are effective
• They are all thoroughly tested and well-tolerated by most people

Disadvantages

• Expense
• Dependency – not in the sense of addiction but in the sense that instead of mastering the self-help techniques involved in overcoming anxiety we keep on falling back on medication. However, some of us have no other option and should take medication. Ideally we should combine medication with behaviour therapy. The medication buys us the time we need to master the techniques to conquer anxiety

We recommend that you check out the following self-help guide that has helped thousands of people - why not you?