There are nearly 6 million people that live with panic disorder. Having panic disorder means that you are more prone to suffering from panic attacks. Anxiety and panic disorder are commonly related, as they often show similar symptoms. Having someone in your life living with panic disorder can be difficult. It’s important that you know how to properly be there and care for someone who lives with panic disorder. In this post, you will learn how to care for someone who has this condition.
A Brief Overview of Panic Disorder
Someone that has been diagnosed with panic disorder has increased anxiety. People may have panic disorder as the result of a recent trauma. In other cases, panic disorder develops without any known reason. In some cases, neuropsychiatric evaluations are done to determine if someone has panic disorder. One side effect of having panic disorder is suffering from panic attacks. Panic attacks occur with mental and physical symptoms. These attacks can occur without warning which makes it important to know what to look for. Someone experiencing a panic attack will often have trouble catching their breath. Breathing difficulties may be accompanied by bouts of crying. The person who is having a panic attack cries as the result of extreme perceived stress.
How to Help Someone Through Panic Attacks
The main thing to remember is caring for someone having a panic attack is to be calm. Becoming angry or stressed out will likely make the other person’s panic attack worse. If the person is taking panic medication, you’ll need to find out if they can take anymore. You never want to assume someone’s medication schedule. It’s best to have documentation of dosage times to avoid any confusion regarding medication times.
It’s important to remember that a panic attack is based on the feeling’s of the person, regardless if any real danger is taking place. Encourage the patient to take deep breaths. Your demeanor needs to be calm and caring throughout the duration of a patients attack. Some patients will have calming phrases they repeat to themselves. Other patients tend to focus on things that are around them. Both previously mentioned ideas work well to help someone fight off a panic attack. Panic attacks can be short and long in duration. However, a patient may have multiple panic attacks throughout the course of a day. It’s tough to find a rhythm or timing pattern for someone who has attacks related to panic disorder.
Treatment Method for Panic Related Disorders
Panic is closely related to anxiety. One study finds that anxiety is the most common mental illness, with more people suffering from it than depression. Neuropsychiatric conditions associated with anxiety are treatable using a few different methods. One commonly used form of treatment from neuropsychiatric conditions involves medication. A patient may find they need to try a few medications before they find what works best. Cognitive behavioral treatment is a very popular way for people with neuropsychiatric conditions to feel better. This therapy involves training the brain to think in a way that removes negative behaviors associated with many neuropsychiatric conditions.
In closing, panic disorder is a condition that needs to be treated in a certain manner. Having panic disorder often means you are highly susceptible to panic attacks. A panic attack is when anxiety or stress has become too much and the body begins showing symptoms. One study shows that someone with an anxiety disorder is six times more likely to undergo psychiatric hospitalization than someone without this disorder. Panic disorder is one of many neuropsychiatric conditions that causes someone to have difficulty breathing and panicked. The most common side effect of panic disorder is having a panic attack. It’s important to be calm and assuring when helping someone through a panic attack.