Prevention and care
There are now recognized treatments that offer relief, more quickly and more effectively, to people suffering from panic disorder. Every effective treatment begins by a precise diagnosis. The simple fact of identifying the illness brings tremendous relief to the person who was afraid that no one would take their problem seriously.
There are various types of therapies that aim to modify certain thoughts and behaviours (cognitive-behavioural therapy), or medications (antidepressants and anxiolytics) or a combination of the two. In the case of cognitive-behavioural therapy, patients, alone or in a group, are gradually exposed to the agoraphobic situations they dread. During this process, they may be accompanied by a therapist, a former sufferer or a member of the family trained for the occasion. If a panic attack is triggered, patients learn to recognize the manifestations of a panic attack and not misinterpret them and to stay there rather than fleeing. Patients learn to reduce their fears and acquire a better mastery of the situation. The therapy aims to modify their thought processes by helping them analyze their feelings and distinguish realistic from unrealistic thoughts.
Recovery may take several months, but since people with panic disorder sometimes suffer from more than one illness, the treatment may take longer and be more complex. A successful treatment will take into account all the associated problems, frequently depression and/or alcohol or drug abuse.
Actual research efforts focus on more effective ways to diagnose and treat panic disorder.
Specialists also want to find answers to such questions as:
There are various types of therapies that aim to modify certain thoughts and behaviours (cognitive-behavioural therapy), or medications (antidepressants and anxiolytics) or a combination of the two. In the case of cognitive-behavioural therapy, patients, alone or in a group, are gradually exposed to the agoraphobic situations they dread. During this process, they may be accompanied by a therapist, a former sufferer or a member of the family trained for the occasion. If a panic attack is triggered, patients learn to recognize the manifestations of a panic attack and not misinterpret them and to stay there rather than fleeing. Patients learn to reduce their fears and acquire a better mastery of the situation. The therapy aims to modify their thought processes by helping them analyze their feelings and distinguish realistic from unrealistic thoughts.
Recovery may take several months, but since people with panic disorder sometimes suffer from more than one illness, the treatment may take longer and be more complex. A successful treatment will take into account all the associated problems, frequently depression and/or alcohol or drug abuse.
Actual research efforts focus on more effective ways to diagnose and treat panic disorder.
Specialists also want to find answers to such questions as:
- Why are panic attacks triggered at certain times more than others?
- What role does heredity play?
- Where do the apparent differences between men and women affected by this disorder come from?
Researchers are trying to throw light the origins and underlying causes of panic disorder.