If you're
someone who experiences frequent anxiety attacks,
you may think that your life has become something of
a nightmare. Anxiety attacks can happen almost
anytime, anywhere, and with or without good reason.
They can make both your work life and your social
life an impossible task, as they can be so very
overwhelming both mentally and physically. But take
heart, there is help for your anxiety attacks, in
the form of medicines and behavioral therapy to get
you through them.
While there are
sometimes reasons for anxiety attacks, doctors are
also sometimes baffled at what causes them and why.
Some persons have imbalances of chemicals in the
brain or seem to have a certain type of internal
wiring that causes these attacks sporadically, like
sudden surges of electricity that are without
warning or reason. Scientists still have so much to
learn about the human brain and its wiring and
workings, so it's really no surprise that they are
at a loss when it comes to something as odd as
unprovoked anxiety attacks.
But doctors
have learned that many medications such as Zoloft or
Paxil have a calming effect on the processes that
control or trigger anxiety and compulsions. These
medications keep the hormones and other elements
responsible for anxiety attacks on an even keel, so
to speak. They can keep someone more calm at all
times, and work well regardless of the type of
anxiety, be it panic attacks, social anxiety
disorder, or even obsessive compulsive disorder.
Anxiety
attacks are also helped with cognitive or behavioral
therapy, meaning the learning of new ways of
thinking or behaving. If someone can learn that
their anxiety attacks are the result of how they
think or of how they view something, then they can
lessen these attacks. Learning how to talk
themselves through a panic attack or how to calm
their obsessive or compulsive behavior can go a long
way toward keeping anxiety attacks at bay, or at the
very least, keeping them in their place so that they
have less of an effect on the sufferer.
So if you're
someone that suffers from anxiety attacks in any
form, it's strongly encouraged that you speak with
your doctor. Whether you want to try medications or
not, there is help available for you. And at the
very least, you can be put in touch with others who
are suffering from the same symptoms as you in order
to get support and encouragement for your condition.