Do you have panic attacks?
DO you avoid crowded places, traffic jams or other situations because they make you anxious? Do you experience the following?
> Fast heartbeat
> Breathing difficulty
> Tiredness
> Tensed muscles
You can be just walking or sitting in a car and find yourself starting to sweat excessively without knowing why. Your worries may escalate and you may start to have difficulty catching your breath.
Your heart may be pounding very hard and your knees feel weak – it may seem like your whole body is shaking and your arms go numb. Your mind may be racing and you question if you are having a heart attack.
Many people with these symptoms consult their doctors but nothing physically wrong could be found and they are referred to a psychologist.
What is a panic attack?
A panic attack is a form of anxiety that has four components:
> Thoughts > Feelings (Emotional)
> Biochemical (Physical)
> Behaviours
A professional psychologist can make a diagnosis for panic attack based on psychological assessments and clinical interview. The assessment would also help the psychologist formulate a treatment plan.
Effective treatment
There are various types of effective psychotherapy treatment for panic attack, including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) which reduces and eliminates anxieties, fears and panic attacks.
Through CBT, the patient gains better understanding of the association between thoughts and emotions which can in turn, lead to avoidant behaviours in times of stress and anxiety. These negative cycles of anxious thoughts, fears and avoidance behaviour can be reversed within six sessions of CBT.
Mental Health Lab Test
A neurotransmitter test may be recommended to find out the brain chemicals causing the panic attacks. High levels of adrenaline and low levels of GABA can make a person easily anxious. GABA is a calming neurotransmitter and low levels of it can give rise to panic attacks.
The patient can be recommended some natural psychonutritional supplements such as GABA and ashwagandha to complement psychotherapy, which change thoughts, feelings and behaviours linked to panic attack. The psychonutritional therapy treats the brain chemistry causes of the panic attack.
There will be a public talk titled “How Do You Know if You’ve Ever Had Panic Attacks?” at International Psychology Centre in Taman Desa, Kuala Lumpur, on Feb 18, 2017.
To register for the talk, contact Chloe at 03-2727 7434.
This article is contributed by PsyCare, Centre for Personal Psychology of International Psychology Centre. For details, call 03-2727 7434.