Anxiety and Panic Disorder

Anxiety disorders appear usually after a traumatic event or after a person undergoes a lot of stress. If a person has been through a highly traumatic incident then the disorder proves to be chronic and many times the person develops a phobia. For example; a person who has almost drowned develops a fear for water bodies and will hesitate to take a dip in the swimming pool or a lake. Commonly the disorder occurs due to the malfunction in the parabrachial nucleus, which is a part of the brain that coordinates the signals with amygdala. The amygdala controls human emotions, especially emotions related to fear.

What is Anxiety Disorder

Anxiety disorder is a generalized term used for several anxiety-related psychological and psychiatric phenomenon. The term anxiety is also used as a generalized term for any kind of fears that are of pathological or abnormal nature. There are several types of anxiety disorders such as the generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, phobias, etc. Most of these disorders are caused due to the occurrence of some incident such as post-traumatic stress disorder. Some of these disorders are also caused due to the anticipation of some event, like separation anxiety. Panic disorder is one of the most commonly seen types of anxiety.

What is Panic Disorder

Panic disorder is basically a variant of anxiety disorder. The first symptom of panic disorder is that the patient starts having recurring panic attacks. These attacks occur due to extreme anxiety or stress that the patient suffers from. The period for which the attacks last is variable. Sometimes it can be a few minutes or half an hour. In extreme cases the panic attack can also last till medication is given. During the attack, the patient experiences extreme anxiousness. The symptoms for panic attacks include a drastic increase in the pulse rate, sweating, trembling, hyperventilation, etc. It has also been concluded by researchers that panic disorder is not merely caused by stress, anxiety, or fear, but that substance abuse is one of the major reasons for the boost of this disorder in the brain and the rest of the body.

Treatment for Anxiety and Panic Disorders

Anxiety and panic attacks are certainly harmful. Psychological and psychiatric treatments are both available for the eradication of the disorder. The psychological remedies involve self-help treatment and therapies, and the least possible use of medication. On the other hand, the psychiatric remedies involve administration of medication. Both the remedies are useful to eradicate anxiety attacks. However, self-control is the best option. It is also advisable that one does not smoke too much or consume high amounts of alcohol if under stress. Intoxication can never be a remedy for stress and anxiety. In fact, intoxication increases the tendency of the panic attacks.

Many ancient civilizations and cultures across the world have developed excellent methods and exercises since ancient times to curb panic and anxiety attacks. Two techniques from India, Yoga and Pranayama, have proved to be especially effective. Japanese meditation techniques are also very effective in controlling anxiety. These techniques do not harm the human body in any way.