How often do you hear the phrase “I’m so stressed out!†If you are like me you hear it quite often and from many different people!People feel pressure from many different sources. Those pressures cause stress and anxiety, and often we are ill-equipped to deal with those stressors that trigger anxiety and other feelings that can make us sick. Literally, sick.
The statistics are staggering. One in every eight Americans age 18-54 suffers from an anxiety disorder. This totals over 19 million people! Research conducted by the National Institute of Mental Health has shown that anxiety disorders are the number one mental health problem among American women and are second only to alcohol and drug abuse by men.
Continue reading ‘Many People are Affected By Stress and Anxiety’ »
Posts tagged ‘panic attacks’
It can get troublesome when we have a kid, panic attack, and ourselves as parents in the mix. Being worried about it is a normal response any parent would have. There are a few things to note about panic attacks and to understand about children however.
Panic attacks are not entirely uncommon in kids at some point or another. This is often overlooked as we may have a tendency to relate the attacks with adults. Millions are affected and it includes children, teenagers, adults, and elders alike. No one is spared, unfortunately. Continue reading ‘A Kid, a Panic Attack, and a Worried Parent’ »
I’d like to discuss anger’s role in the generation and sustenance of panic attacks and anxiety. To give the matter its due, I’ve decided to present the information in two parts. In this edition, part one, we’ll review what anger is in the eyes of the psychoanalysts and cognitivists. And in part two we’ll have a closer look at how anger directly impacts panic and anxiety. Well, are you ready? Let’s get to work.
The French psychiatrist, Jacques Lacan, a 20th Century pioneer in psychoanalysis, believed aggression is generated as a psychological defense against the threat of something known as fragmentation; the mental and emotional sense of losing control over self-cohesion. Now, fragmentation may present in a feeling of low-grade distress, or it may manifest in all-out panic and terror, for fear of total annihilation. Lacan took the whole matter to infancy where a human is simply a mish-mash of biological functions well beyond internal management. And the only goal one could have is to at least make an effort to pull everything together into some semblance of cohesive identity. Continue reading ‘Panic Attacks, Anxiety, and Anger: The Dynamics of Defense’ »
Panic attack stories may catch our attention from time to time. After all, we may be interested in reading about the experiences of other people. Not only this, but in a way we verify that we are not the only ones that suffer from them. There are a few key notes to understand about the stories however.
The story or experience a person may talk about at times may seem absurd. Possibly even silly at times, or directly on target with an experience we may have had ourselves before. The important thing to note here, no matter how absurd or silly the experiences of someone else may sound, that it was real for them. Afterall, think about the experiences we may have had ourselves. Continue reading ‘Panic Attack – Stories and Understanding Them’ »
The panic disorder is a sickness that is affecting mostly people that are in their early or middle maturity. It is distinguished by unprovoked brief episodes of panic. The feelings of intense fear are also experienced during the panic disorder episodes. The fear comes together with different types of physical discomfort as hand numbness, the feeling of smothering as well as the chest pain.
A panic disorder episode always starts very quickly and more often than not without any warning. It usually reaches its peak in about ten minutes. The medical treatment for the panic disorder is effective and has positive results for more than two thirds of the people who experience this kind of affection. Continue reading ‘Learn the Truth About Panic Disorder’ »
A panic attack might be a very frightening experience because it will take you by surprise most of the times. All of a sudden, you feel hit by numerous symptoms like losing control, suffocating or feel like having a heart attack. The panic attack is an experience that may be very traumatizing and you can even feel that you are dying at the very moment it happens.
A panic attack might strike any person at any time and basically everywhere. There is no reason it will hit a person, even though the excessive level of stress might be one of the causes of it. More often than not, a panic attack occurs randomly. Continue reading ‘Controlling A Panic Attack By Beating The Fear Of It’ »
A panic attack might be a very frightening experience because it will take you by surprise most of the times. All of a sudden, you feel hit by numerous symptoms like losing control, suffocating or feel like having a heart attack. The panic attack is an experience that may be very traumatizing and you can even feel that you are dying at the very moment it happens.
A panic attack might strike any person at any time and basically everywhere. There is no reason it will hit a person, even though the excessive level of stress might be one of the causes of it. More often than not, a panic attack occurs randomly. Continue reading ‘Controlling A Panic Attack By Beating The Fear Of It’ »
In my ongoing quest for knowledge pertaining to the contributors to panic attacks and anxiety, as well as treatment strategies and techniques, I came upon some very cool stuff several years ago. It’s called Somatic Experiencing (SE) and it’s the amazing work of Peter A. Levine, Ph.D. This will be the first in a series of two articles. Here we’ll have a look at SE within the context of a contributor to panic and anxiety. The article that follows will approach SE from a treatment perspective. Well, tune-in because I know you’re going to find the information fascinating, hopeful, and helpful.
SE came to life as Dr. Levine observed that though wild animals of prey are under constant threat and siege, they’re rarely traumatized. Well, I never really gave that much thought, but I suppose it’s true. So, just how in the heck do they pull that off? Well, credit is given to an innate regulating mechanism that very efficiently manages and discharges the energy that accumulates in their bodies as a result of self-preservation behaviors. Levine observed that when an animal of prey survives a potentially deadly chase, it actually takes time to physically shake-off unused energy before moving on with the herd. Well, Levine posits we humans are equipped with essentially the same mechanism; however, ours is greatly inhibited by our more advanced cognitive capabilities. Man, how many times does thinking mess things up for us? By the way, isn’t it interesting that we so often use the phrase, “Just shake it off,†when someone takes a relatively minor hit of some kind. Continue reading ‘Panic Attacks, Anxiety, and Somatic Experiencing: Part I’ »
Anxieties make us feel edgy and nervous. So people get panicky that way. And when panic attacks, anxiety disorder might lead to heart attacks in extreme cases. Impacts of panic attacks can very from person to person.
While some patients feel dizzy, others suffer chest pains. There are also patients who feel that they will faint anytime. Anxiety disorders are not the most enjoyable things in the world, there are easy ways to deal with your panic attacks, anxiety disorder and symptoms related to it. Continue reading ‘Panic Attacks, Anxiety Disorder And Prevention’ »
In a previous article I discussed the importance of including balance issues in any discussion of the contributors to panic attacks and anxiety. Amazingly, this connection hasn’t received much attention, but it appears as though that’s changing. Yes, children with balance issues are being assessed for signs and symptoms of anxiety, and intervention strategies and techniques are being developed and implemented. This is great news, as it holds the potential to save millions from life-long suffering.
As you may know, in addition to our sense of hearing the inner ear is the headquarters of balance and equilibrium. Within the membranous labyrinth, a fluid-filled structure deep within the inner ear, is a relatively large area known as the vestibule. And it’s the “vestibular system†that monitors and manages balance and equilibrium by receiving and integrating input from the eyes, ears, and muscles of the trunk, neck, and limbs. Of course, the vestibular system gets a little help from its friends, one of which is the brain’s cerebellum. I guess it would make sense that the cerebellum is a major player in the integration of sensory perception, as well as motor control.
Continue reading ‘Panic Attacks and Anxiety: Treatment of Balance Issues In Childhood’ »