Mental Health - Haiti Observer Blog

Panic attacks and their off-spring, panic disorder, can be both managed and treated.

Treatment for panic attacks or panic disorder falls under three categories: medication, therapy, and health regimen.

Medication options that prescribing physicians use to treat panic attacks or panic disorder include a variety of antidepressants, anti-seizure, anti-anxiety, and heart medications.
The therapy treatment plan most effective uses both cognitive and behavioral approaches. During the first phase of therapy, information about panic attacks and panic disorder and its commonplace occurrence in many people's lives offers reassurance the sufferer is not losing their mind, or is at risk of suffering a heart attack. The second phase introduces behavior modification techniques to overcome negative perceptions about panic attacks and panic disorder.

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Christmas is supposed to be a time of joy. But for untold millions in countries all over the world, holidays can be a source of sadness, loneliness and depression.

One reason for low spirits and depression is seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Happening to some when nighttime hours are longer and vitamin D is in short supply, moods darken and energy decreases.

Loneliness creates depression during the holidays. The recent death of a loved one or family pet can keep people from enjoying the holidays. Families with children serving in the military overseas must celebrate Christmas day without them, inducing depression.

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A panic attack begins suddenly without warning. They can last anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours.

The fear experienced during a panic attack is so intense the sufferer feels like they are going to die or lose their minds.

When a panic attack occurs with a first-time victim, they often believe they are suffering a heart attack, or having a mental break-down. They will frequently call for paramedics and end up in the emergency ward for tests and observation.

A panic attack originates in the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), and symptoms vary from chest pain to lightheadedness to numbness and tingling sensations, among others. During the attack, the SNS releases large amounts of epinephrine, the fight-or-flight response hormone.

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Learning to manage a panic attack is the difference between living a full life or a severely constricted one.

One of the primary ways to manage a panick attack is to understand what you are experiencing is a panic attack, not a heart attack, as is so often the perception.

When you feel a panic attack coming on, calm down. This is an effective and powerful response to feeling out of control that so often accompanies an attack.

Repeat a mantra, something as simple as 'I'm going to be okay'.

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Panic disorder is the label used to describe someone, who has suffered repeated panic attacks.

Panic attacks, occurring at regular intervals without knowledge of the trigger mechanism, can debilitate a person in their everyday lives.

Panic attacks appear without warning and can last from several minutes to several hours. The sufferer is subjected to paralyzing pain, thoughts of imminent death, depersonalization (withdrawal from reality), rapid heart beats, and other alarming symptoms. Oftentimes, a first-time sufferer will end up in the emergency room, believing they have suffered a heart attack.

Understanding all this, it's not surprising that sufferers often develop a phobia. They believe that the panic attack is associated with the place at which it occurred. They begin to experience a side effect known as situational avoidance, restricting their ability to lead a normal life. In extreme cases, the sufferer develops agoraphobia, a fear of going outside. They become recluses, afraid of venturing outside their homes, for fear of an attack.

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Panic attacks are a biological and hormonal event.

But what brings on these terrifying occurrences called Panic attack?

Researchers suggest that heredity may play a role, according to interviews of study subjects. Some responders indicate a member of his or her family suffers from panic attacks also, or other anxiety-related disorders.

Researchers speculate an abnormal biological function may contribute to panic attacks, but have not yet discovered a determining genetic marker. Pertaining to ethnic backgrounds, panic attacks can occur in all races, without exception. But gender statistics conclude women are 50% more prone to panic attacks than men. Panic attacks can occur at any age, but usually target young adults.

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What is gut feeling? Why is it called that way?

What is the association between the gut and feelings? These might be the questions swimming in your mind when you heard the term gut feeling. This article would explain this phenomenon.

For starters, gut feelings are reflections of your intuition. It happens when the unconscious brain receives subliminal signals in a given situation. In most cases, gut feelings are always right. And this is also why many people follow what their gut is telling them to do.

Now, you might be wondering what the gut has to do with it. As a matter of fact, the gut plays an important role in people's lives. The term gut feeling comes from the fact that the gut or the stomach area is where the second-largest network of interconnected neurons is located. Remember the feeling in your stomach when you're having strong feelings and reactions over something? That is because the gut has its "independent" nervous system. Considered as the second brain, the gut is also full of neurons and microbes that are crucial to one's physical, mental, and emotional health. The gut also has an excellent ability to communicate with the brain. There are studies that found out that changes in gut bacteria can affect a person's mood, behavior, and way of thinking.

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Holidays create stress for many people.

Pressure to purchase gifts and attend social gatherings can affect your mood and eventually causes depression in many of us. And Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) can send your spirits plummeting. Here are some guidelines to help you deal with holiday depression.

Realize you are not alone in feeling down during the holiday season. Many others are affected by feeling less than cheerful.

Get some exercise three or four times a week to kick in endorphins, the feel-good hormone.

Avoid imbibing too much alcohol, a powerful depressant. If you're not chronically depressed, small amounts of eggnog or other light alcoholic beverages should not affect you.

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In another way, how to avoid fighting with some family members you know will get you upset

The holidays are nearly here, and that means get-togethers with family and friends. These can be joyous occasions or oppressive ones. It all depends on how you handle the difficult personalities of immediate or extended family members. They are the ones most likely to affect your mood negatively.

It's important to understand how others' moods can affect us, especially our relatives. The principle to keep in mind when dealing with difficult personalities is you don't need to tolerate their bad behavior. By allowing their negativity to affect your mood, you subject yourself to psychological abuse and physical harm to your health. To protect and take care of yourself, be honest but don't judge them.

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