After a long time never experienced panic atttack I think important things that can be done is to control the mind to calm. Control the mind can do many things such as meditation exercises. I found website is very good and you can download instructions and many articles also guided meditation try it http://peacebecomesme.com

by Michael Kahn, M.D., Harvard Medical School

When I prescribe medication for a patient with a mental health problem, I'm frequently asked, "How long will I have to take this medication?" It's a good question. But for someone with an anxiety disorder, the answer is particularly complex.

Here's some information from Harvard Medical School's special health report, Coping with Anxiety and Phobias.

It's true that some anxiety disorders can be controlled with sporadic or short-term therapy. Sometimes a person does feel much better after just a few weeks or even days on an anti-anxiety medication. A specific phobia can be treated as needed, for example, just before getting on an airplane or giving a speech.

But other anxiety disorders — for example, generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder — commonly require ongoing treatment. Experience shows that when drug therapy is stopped, symptoms often recur. Only 25% of patients who stop taking antidepressants for anxiety have relief for two years or longer. Two studies found that one in four people with generalized anxiety disorder relapse within a month of going off medications. Similarly, most people with obsessive-compulsive disorder relapse within a month unless they either continue drug treatment indefinitely or undergo behavior therapy.

There are no controlled studies showing how long drug therapy should last. But experience has led to this general guideline: For most anxiety disorders, medication should be taken initially for six to 12 months. If the symptoms vanish or diminish to the point that the individual is satisfied, he or she can take a "holiday" during which the drugs are stopped. If anxiety symptoms return, the individual should take the medication again. For people with two or more anxiety disorders, it's likely that treatment will carry on for more than a year. The more complex the condition, the more difficult it is to treat.

Even if symptoms don't recur, anyone who has had an anxiety disorder should have regular checkups with a mental health professional, preferably every three to four months. Those who are still taking medication should check in with a psychiatrist every three to four months to evaluate its effectiveness. Regular checkups can ensure prompt treatment should the symptoms recur or new ones develop.

It's also important to talk with your doctor before stopping any medication. Discontinuing medication too early or abruptly can trigger side effects. For example, stopping benzodiazepines too quickly increases the risk for withdrawal symptoms and can even result in a flare-up of anxiety, panic, or depression.

Many patients stop taking their medicine because they develop side effects. If you're having trouble tolerating a drug, talk to your doctor. Side effects are more common with some medications than others. Your doctor may be able to suggest a different drug or offer advice on how to prevent side effects.

Have you, or someone you know, ever decided to stop taking a medication for an anxiety disorder? What happened? How would you advise someone else in a similar situation?

Dr. Michael W. Kahn is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, and is medical Director of Ambulatory Psychiatry at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.

Quiz by DR. JOYCE BROTHERS
SYNDICATED COLUMNIST

Many people get nervous or feel anxious during unfamiliar situations or novel experiences. Some people, however, are struck with such irrational fears during daily life that their panic becomes debilitating. This true or false quiz helps you test your knowledge about the symptoms, causes and treatments of these common disorders.

1. Most experts agree that about 10 percent of people suffer from panic disorder.

TRUE ( ) FALSE ( )

2. Agoraphobia, or an intense fear of public places, is a disorder that can commonly occur along with panic attacks.

TRUE ( ) FALSE ( )

3. Oftentimes, a panic attack can be triggered by a person's physical symptoms, such as heartburn or a headache.

TRUE ( ) FALSE ( )

4. Medication is considered the best way to treat panic disorders.

TRUE ( ) FALSE ( )

5. Physical symptoms of panic disorder can include nausea and vomiting, chills or sweats, feeling of choking or shortness of breath, fainting, trembling and numbness or tingling sensations.

TRUE ( ) FALSE ( )

6. There is only one type of anxiety disorder, and it has similar symptoms in all people.

FALSE ( ) FALSE ( )

7. People with severe social phobia may fear being judged or watched by others so much that any interaction with another person can cause them to experience debilitating broad physical and psychological symptoms.

TRUE ( ) FALSE ( )

8. Anxiety disorders can be present from an early age or can begin suddenly. They are most prone to appear during times of high stress.

TRUE ( ) FALSE ( )

ANSWERS:

1. FALSE. Most studies have found that 1 percent to 2 percent of people suffer from panic disorders. The Public Health Agency of Canada estimates that about 0.7 percent of Canadians between ages 15 and 64 suffer from panic. While many people have experienced panic attacks in their lives, panic disorders leave people in constant fear that an attack will strike again at any moment.

2. TRUE. Agoraphobia stems from a fear of being unable to escape to a safe location during a panic attack. Agoraphobics tend to try to avoid the situations that they think may have initiated the panic attack, and thereby close themselves off to new or unusual experiences as well as public locations.

3. TRUE. It is hard for those suffering from panic disorders to recognize the physical triggers that can set off attacks. Instead they associate the attack with the activity they were doing or the location where they were when the attack struck. This can lead them to avoid these circumstances.

4. FALSE. Cognitive behavioral therapy is thought by most in the field to be the most effective treatment for panic disorders. This method encourages those suffering from panic attacks to expose themselves to different experiences in a safe environment. Patients are taught to control their thoughts and actions during panic attacks. SSRI medications can be helpful in certain circumstances, but taking a pill that has short-term anti-anxiety effects every time a panic attack strikes can be counterproductive.

5. TRUE. All of these symptoms can be felt during panic attacks, either alone or in combinations. The physical symptoms go along with the emotional and mental symptoms usually associated with feelings of panic, such as nervousness and fear.

6. FALSE. There are five major types of anxiety disorders: generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive- compulsive disorder, panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and social phobia. All five of these exhibit slightly different symptoms, and are brought about in different settings.

7. TRUE. Because this disorder can strike anytime a person is in a social setting, it can severely interfere with work, school and other necessary daily activities. This can lead to more extreme forms of the disorder, including agoraphobia.

8. TRUE. Anxiety disorder can be chronic. A family history of mental distress or trouble dealing with anxiety can be signs that you may have an anxiety disorder. Additionally, stress can bring out physical and emotional symptoms usually associated with panic attacks.

If you were able to answer six of the eight questions correctly, you're more informed than most on this subject.

Write to Dr. Joyce Brothers via King Features, 888 Seventh Ave., New York, NY 10019.

Today I found anxiety forum, great to discuss about Anxiety and Panic Disorder. These are anxietyforum and ofear

Free DVD and CD - find out how you can tap your natural ability to let go of any unwanted feeling on the spot.

Cure from Panic Disorder not as easy as counting 1, 2, 3….and gone. For me it’s like eliminating memory from your brain until it’s gone. Sometimes when get stress/ under pressure panic comes again. Breathing begins not stable and get confuse.
Here’s some suggestion to reducing anxiety :

1. Change Your Focus

When you get near of anxiety, you may not focus on your breath or focus on what will happen next because of your anxiety. Stay calm, relax and try to CHANGE YOUR FOCUS, for example if you get anxious in crowded street, try to focusing around, the detail of something, the color of cars, the smell around or you can imagine a red traffic light.

2. Use your imagination

Believe it or not, when I get confuse of panic, I visualize entire negative emotion and anxiety of my body move to clean white paper until the paper get dirty of negative emotion/anxiety (do it only in imagination/just visualize). Do it with motion by waving your hand around your head (to take negative emotion and move it to imaginative white paper). Until the paper get dirty and shrink (as anxiety begins to reduce) . Do it until you can control your anxiety.

Purpose: to put a stop to the thoughts that lead to anxiety, and to replace those thoughts with realistic, rational thoughts. Then, when these self-statements are practiced and learned, your brain takes over automatically. This is a form of conditioning, meaning that your brain chemistry (neurotransmission) actually changes as a result of your new thinking habits.

First, use thought stoppage. Be gentle but firm about it.

"STOP! These thoughts are not good for me. They are not healthy or helpful thoughts, and I have decided to move in a better direction and learn to think differently." (You are reminding and reinforcing your brain each and every time you make this rational and realistic statement.)

Then, pick two or three statements from the list below that seem to help you, and repeat them to yourself OUT LOUD each day. (You don’t have to believe them fully yet – that will happen later).

When Anxiety is Near:
General Statements

1. I’m going to be all right. My feelings are not always rational. I’m just going to relax, calm down, and everything will be all right.

2. Anxiety is not dangerous -- it’s just uncomfortable. I am fine; I’ll just continue with what I’m doing or find something more active to do.

3. Right now I have some feelings I don’t like. They are really just phantoms, however, because they are disappearing. I will be fine.

4. Right now I have feelings I don’t like. They will be over with soon and I’ll be fine. For now, I am going to focus on doing something else around me.

5. That picture (image) in my head is not a healthy or rational picture. Instead, I’m going to focus on something healthy like _________________________.

6. I’ve stopped my negative thoughts before and I’m going to do it again now. I am becoming better and better at deflecting these automatic negative thoughts (ANTs) and that makes me happy.

7. So I feel a little anxiety now, SO WHAT? It’s not like it’s the first time. I am going to take some nice deep breaths and keep on going. This will help me continue to get better."

Statements to use when
Preparing for a Stressful Situation

1. I’ve done this before so I know I can do it again.

2. When this is over, I’ll be glad that I did it.

3. The feeling I have about this trip doesn’t make much sense. This anxiety is like a mirage in the desert. I’ll just continue to "walk" forward until I pass right through it.

4. This may seem hard now, but it will become easier and easier over time.

5. I think I have more control over these thoughts and feelings than I once imagined. I am very gently going to turn away from my old feelings and move in a new, better direction.

Statements to use when
I feel overwhelmed

1. I can be anxious and still focus on the task at hand. As I focus on the task, my anxiety will go down.

2. Anxiety is a old habit pattern that my body responds to. I am going to calmly and nicely change this old habit. I feel a little bit of peace, despite my anxiety, and this peace is going to grow and grow. As my peace and security grow, then anxiety and panic will have to shrink.

3. At first, my anxiety was powerful and scary, but as time goes by it doesn’t have the hold on me that I once thought it had. I am moving forward gently and nicely all the time.

4. I don’t need to fight my feelings. I realize that these feelings won’t be allowed to stay around very much longer. I just accept my new feelings of peace, contentment, security, and confidence.

5. All these things that are happening to me seem overwhelming. But I’ve caught myself this time and I refuse to focus on these things. Instead, I’m going to talk slowly to myself, focus away from my problem, and continue with what I have to do. In this way, my anxiety will have to shrink away and disappear.

Source: Thomas A. Richards, Ph.D., Psychologist

Acrophobia fear of Heights
Aerophobia/Aviophobia fear of Flying
Agoraphobia fear of Open spaces, public places
Aichmophobia fear of Sharp pointed objects
Ailurophobia fear of Cats
Amaxophobia fear of Vehicles, driving
Anthropophobia fear of People
Aquaphobia fear of Water
Arachnephobia fear of Spiders
Astraphobia fear of Lightning
Batrachophobia fear of Frogs, amphibians
Blennophobia fear of Slime
Brontophobia fear of Thunder
Carcinophobia fear of Cancer
Claustrophobia fear of Closed spaces, confinement
Clinophobia fear of Going to bed
Cynophobia fear of Dogs
Dementophobia fear of Insanity
Dromophobia fear of Crossing streets
Emetophobia fear of Vomiting
Entomophobia fear of Insects
Genophobia fear of Sex
Gephyrophobia fear of Crossing bridges
Hematophobia fear of Blood
Herpetophobia fear of Reptiles
Homilophobia fear of Sermons
Linonophobia fear of String
Monophobia fear of Being alone
Musophobia fear of Mice
Mysophobia fear of Dirt and germs
Nudophobia fear of Nudity
Numerophobia fear of Numbers
Nyctophobia fear of Darkness, night
Ochlophobia fear of Crowds
Ophidiophobia fear of Snakes
Ornithophobia fear of Birds
Phasmophobia fear of Ghosts
Phobophobia fear of Phobias
Pnigophobia fear of Choking
Pogonophobia fear of Beards
Pyrophobia fear of Fire
Scoleciphobia fear of worm
Siderodromophobia fear of Trains
Taphephobia fear of Being buried alive
Thanatophobia fear of Death
Trichophobia fear of Hair
Triskaidekaphobia fear of The number 13
Trypanophobia fear of Injections
Xenophobia fear of Strangers
Zoophobia fear of Animals

This is my favorite treatment, easy to do and big effect. Person with panic disorder also phobia has to change his or her mind set to destroy anxiety and phobia. This is simple way to do, make a simple rational card. Bring it to your pocket and read it 8-10 times a day. First write down your old belief, why you anxious and write a rational reason to neutralized negative emotion. My example :

Old Belief :
When I get tired outside home my heart beating fast, I can’t breath, nobody will help me
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
New Belief/Rational Reason :
Nothing to worries, heart beating fast when tired is very normal, a lot of people outside will help if something happen. Breath normally and relax.

Make your own negative believe and new rational reason, read it both,.so you can change your negative mind/emotion to positive mind/emotion. Read it 8-10 a day in 3 months.

EFT ( Emotional Freedom Technique) is a simple technique to eliminate worries also phobia developed by Gary Craig. I use this EFT technique in emergency Panic Attack, this technique is very simple but effective, could eliminate my panic just in minutes (10-30 minutes). This technique is doing by tapping on several point of your body.

I used to be using medical treatment for just 6 months, and when the medications stops, anxiety and panic attack coming again and again. It was very confusing for me to know what is exacts problem happen to me. So I try another treatment.

What should do for treatment? For frequent panic attack, it better go to mental health professionals (psychiatry) to get treat panic disorder with medications. As usual psychiatry use alprazolam (Xanax) and diazepam (Valium), to reduce anxiety with few physical side effects. However, these medications can be addictive and may impair movement and concentration in some people. Medications can eliminates panic symptoms in 50 to 60 percent of patients. For many patients, panic attacks return when they stop taking the medication.

What cause of panic disorder? People with panic disorder or phobia have unusual activity on his or her hippocampus (area of the brain that process memory and emotion). Stress and anxiety could increase risk of experience of panic attack. For example, if a person experiences a racing heart during a panic attack, he or she may begin to associate this sensation with panic attacks. A rapid heartbeat, even if caused by exercise, he or she associate this rapid heart beat as a danger (for example dying from heart attack) and then may then trigger future panic attacks.

People living with panic disorder will developed agoraphobia (an irrational fear of some situation or places that escape might be difficult if panic attack happen), Claustrophobia (fear of closed space) and Monophobia (fear of being alone) . For me I was fear inside elevator alone, go to shopping mall or public space alone, on train alone, in small room with a lot of smoker. When I felt panic attack will occur, I’m going quickly quit from that room/situation. And search some new fresh situation. This is automatically for a person to response from danger (fight or flight response). This is very big mistake to run for such situation, because panic attack might be coming again when person with panic attack on the same situation. So people with panic disorder might be comfort to stay at home, than working outside for traveling or meet someone else.

So why people with panic disorder avoiding some places or situation? People with panic disorder fear of felt at first time that panic attack occur (cannot breath, fear of nobody helping if something happen, fear of dying from heart attack) so they avoiding some places or situation that they think to trigger panic attack

Welcome to my blog. I live more than 1 year with anxiety and panic disorder. People with panic disorder living with anxiety and discomfort living.

Panic disorder is mental illness that people living with panic disorder experiences repeated, unexpected panic attacks and persistent anxiety about the possibility that the panic attacks will recur (irrational response of heart beating fast, fear that cannot to be handle like someone without panic disorder). Panic attacks may last from a few minutes to several hours. From my experience it occurs abut 30 minutes until 2-3 hours, and it comes without warning. Several symptoms before panic attack are racing heartbeat, discomfort of breath, shortness of breath, feel anxious or fear about something happen in the future (when being alone, fear of dying and nobody will help or dying from heart attack), losing control and going crazy