A Recommended Procedure Of Panic Treatment

It is difficult to treat panic attack, a form of anxiety disorder. Diagnosis can never be easy as well since symptoms such as chest pain and rapid heart beating could be indicative of other serious conditions. However, after a diagnosis is made, panic treatment options can be made available.

There are several different options of treatment. Deciding which could be the best option takes serious time spent on arriving at a decision. The decision is based on the recommendations of the physician in accordance to those recommended by the DSM-IV or Diagnostic And Statistical Manual Of Mental Disorders, the preference of the patient, and the side effects profile of each method.

The following presents the general process of choosing treatment options for patients of panic disorder:

First, symptoms will be checked against the disorder profile provided in the Diagnostic And Statistical Manual Of Mental Disorders (DMS-IV). Once the symptoms are confirmed to be symptoms of panic disorder or any anxiety disorder, the possibility of substance abuse will be ruled out.

If he is found to be dependent on alcohol or any addictive substance, he will then be offered alcohol detoxification and maintenance program combined with reassessment of panic disorder. If there’s no addictive substance involved, he will be checked for his need of immediate treatment. If immediate treatment is required, he will be recommended with a short-term treatment (usually requiring the use of anti-panic or anti-anxiety medication) and long-term treatment which involves psychotherapies and a cocktail of drugs.

If the patient doesn’t require immediate treatment, he may be administered with either antidepressants or CBT or Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy which may run anywhere from 4 to 12 sessions or until the panic symptoms are cured.

Reassessment will then be initiated 2 to 12 weeks after the start of treatment while constantly monitoring the results achieved with therapies used as well as the side-effects of the drugs, if used. After treatment completion, patient will be assessed for normal function and presence of any lingering symptoms.

If the patient is panic-free, he will be offered three different treatment options (all these options are usually used in combination) which he will undergo for the next 6 months or so. First, antidepressant drugs will be administered for the next 6 months. During this time, patient may undergo withdrawal process which will be continuously monitored. Next, CBT may be resumed to ensure that any underlying psychological issues are resolved. Regular follow-ups will be made to prevent relapse. Finally, patient will be administered with benzodiazepine. If the use of this drug proves unsuccessful, patient will be offered with CBT (if not yet being used as treatment) or greater focus will be put on the use of CBT.

Panic treatment options extend to other forms treatment such as psychological therapies like exposure therapy, medications like SSRIs, tricyclic antidepressants and MAOIs, self-help strategies like relaxation exercises, deep-breathing exercises, and complementary therapies.

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