Panic/Anxiety and Bipolar Disorder

To some extent, we all suffer from anxiety, from the most basic - what to make for dinner - to the most severe - someone who can't leave the house because he or she is too scared of what could happen outside.

TYPES OF ANXIETY DISORDERS AND ATTACKS

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

GAD is a condition of nonstop worry and anxiety for as long as six months or longer. The main symptoms are worry, anxiety, and tension - for no apparent reason. Other symptoms are restlessness, irritability, muscle tension, fatigue, and sleep disturbances.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

PTSD is an anxiety disorder that develops after exposure to a traumatizing event. Some examples are: violent personal assaults, natural or human caused disasters, accidents, or military combat. The symptoms are repeatedly experiencing the ordeal in the form of flashbacks, memories, or nightmares. The anniversary of the event can also be a trigger. People often experience emotional numbness, sleep disturbances, intense guilt, depression, and outbursts of anger.

Panic Attacks

Panic attacks are overwhelming feelings of fear and anxiety. Symptoms are: pounding heart, chest pain, sweating, light-headedness, nausea, fear, and feeling detached from reality. Many people who first experience a panic attack go to the emergency room to seek treatment, thinking they are having a heart attack.

Anger Attacks

Anger attacks include all the panic attack symptoms, but also feeling like attacking others, attacking them, and throwing or destroying objects.

Agoraphobia

Agoraphobia is the intense fear that can develop in people who have panic disorders. These people are afraid to be in any place that might cause or be hard to escape panic attacks. Some examples would be: fear of being in crowds, standing in line, shopping malls, or the most severe form, never leaving home.

TREATMENTS

There are several techniques in the treatment of panic attacks. Commonly prescribed medications include benzodiazepines such as Ativan, Xanax and Klonopin. There are antidepressants that are also antianxiety medications, including Paxil, Wellbutrin and Seroquel. Along with medication therapy there is psychotherapy and also Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, which makes a person change their thoughts in relation to changing their behavior. A lot of people attend workshops and classes on ways to handle panic attacks when they occur or ways to prevent them. Exercise seems to play a common role, too, be it yoga, pilates, walking or hours in a gym on a regular basis. Sleep is another common form of therapy. Sleeping seems to reset an internal clock so that when you wake up, everything is ok again.

HELPING OTHERS IN CHAT

We have a lot of members who suffer panic attacks along with bipolar disorder. One comes into the chat room in crisis mode - something has happened, and he/she can't deal with hit. We all want to help, but we don't know how, or we end up confusing the person. First and most important is to calm the person down down. One person should invite the panicky chatter into person-to-person chat for a minute and find out what the problem is. Then find out if he/she wants to discuss the panic attack or issues creating it in the room or one-on-one in p2p. I find that this is split 50/50. It depends on the situation and the person. The next step is to discuss options, how to fix the immediate crisis at hand. In my opinion, the best way is to discuss the pros and cons of each option. If the person doesn't have any options or ideas on how to fix anything, start suggesting things, even if your ideas are unrealistic. A little laughter never hurt, and laughing and distraction work wonders. Find out if he/she has any relaxation techniques, meds, or exercises that they do when stressed. Often, once I have gotten to this point, the person is ready to do something about the situation or go back into the room for normal chat. If not, I got back to their options and start over.