Panic Disorder Treatment - How To Stop Obsessive Thinking?

The group of anxiety disorders is the most prevalent amongst the different types of mental diseases. These are disorders characterized by having excessive anxiety together with physiological, mental, and behavioral responses as evidenced by panic without reason, uncalled-for fear of objects or situations, uncontrollable and repetitive actions, overwhelming worry without basis, and/or numerous other uncommon behaviors. Considering that the mind is a very powerful tool, even made as the central focus of many therapies including biofeedback, what one thinks can be converted into bodily responses. Panic disorder operates in a similar manner. Anxiety, which is normally part of the normal protective function of the body to motivate a person into action, can be so severe to the point of losing control. By thinking that the person is incompetent at managing the situation, the anxiety further increases, resulting in the associated signs and symptoms. The negative thought is what starts the cascade of events from shortness of breath to symptoms mimicking that of a heart attack.

Having said that, several panic disorder treatment modalities can effectively treat the disorder. Any person diagnosed with panic disorder can use the two groups of treatment regimen as follows:

1) Pharmacotherapy

This involves the use of maintenance drugs for the associated signs and symptoms of the disorder. Among the drugs prescribed as panic disorder treatment are antidepressants, anti-anxiety drugs, as well as antihypertensive. It is important to stress that the use of drugs is to help the patient manage the signs and symptoms enough to initiate cognitive and behavioral measures to control the anxiety. The use of drugs is not done to treat the disorder but serves as support to psychotherapy. It is also integral that the use of such drugs is prescribed by a professional because they are associated with severe side and adverse effects.

2) Psychotherapy

There are several types of psychotherapy prescribed to manage and treat panic disorders and are also applicable to other types of anxiety disorders. Among the most commonly used psychotherapy panic disorder treatment is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which entails the person to change his or her thoughts and actions to stop the anxiety from progressing to excessive levels. Positive reframing involves the changing of negative to positive thoughts. For example, when signs and symptoms of the disorder begin to manifest, the person needs to convert the "I can't breathe, I think I'm going to die" thoughts to "I can do this. This will go away." By invoking the help of the mind, the body will be able to control the rising levels of anxiety. The person can even write the messages down on easy-to-carry flash or cue cards for access.

Decatastrophizing, on the other hand, is a technique to help the person realistically appraise the situation. When a person is faced with an otherwise anxiety causing situation, the person needs to think "What is the worst thing that can happen to me?" to overcome the increasing anxiety. A number of techniques as well as relaxation techniques can be used to control the panic level of anxiety.

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