How to Help Someone Having a Panic Attack
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Panic attacks generally peak at about ten minutes in and
then start a slow decline that can last anywhere from a few minutes to several
hours. Because of this, waiting out the panic attack is possible, but there are
strategies you can use to reduce the severity of the panic attack while it's
occurring.
Strategies to Reduce Panic Attack Severity
Reducing the severity of a panic attack is valuable from a
treatment perspective, because the more severe a panic attack is, the more the
person will fear future attacks. Since fear of panic attacks can create panic
attacks, the more every panic attack is kept under control the better. Some
strategies to help those with panic attacks include:
- Get Them to Talk
Panic attacks are worse when the person is "in their
own head" and focusing too much on their symptoms and the attack. Panic
attacks tend to be at their most severe when someone is trying to fix them on
their own while letting their mind wander to all of the worst case scenarios.
If you can get them to talk, it can help them stay in reality and give them the
right kind of distraction for reducing their panic attack severity.
- Count Breathing – Help Breathing
Most of the severe symptoms of panic attacks come from
hyperventilation, because during a panic attack the person tries too hard to
breathe in oxygen – either breathing too quickly or breathing in too much air
without holding it. This reduces carbon dioxide levels in the body because
you're breathing out CO2 faster than your body needs to. Without carbon
dioxide, your entire body works harder.
This is what causes chest pains, lightheadedness, and
interestingly the feeling as though you're not getting enough oxygen. Unfortunately,
this causes the person to breathe in faster and try to get deeper breaths
rather than slow their breathing to regain CO2.
That's why you can coach them to slow down their breathing.
Have them breathe in for about 5 seconds, hold for 2 or 3 seconds, and breathe
out for 7 seconds. Count for them to make sure that they're breathing slower in
order to prevent the symptoms of hyperventilation from getting worse.
- Walking
Some people find that walking provides great relief from
anxiety symptoms. See if you can get them moving or walking around. It's
unclear why walking has benefits, but it likely gets blood flowing and improve
breathing patterns in a way that individuals are not doing on their own with
anxiety. Some people with panic attacks experience severe dizziness, so walking
isn't always possible, but some type of movement may be beneficial.
Helping Someone
Overcome Panic Attacks
Panic attacks will always be stressful events, and once the
attack comes it's hard to turn it off completely. But there are strategies that
you can complete that will help the person with the panic attack cope with it
better.
The most important thing to do, however, is not tell them
how to feel or do anything that makes them feel embarrassed. The more they open
up and share without worrying about whether they'll be judged, the more they'll
feel that someone is taking care of them, and that makes recovering from panic
attacks much better.
About the Author: Ryan Rivera had severe panic attacks himself, and
speaks from experience about what he needed to overcome them. He writes about
panic attacks at www.calmclinic.com.
Category: Gust Article, NO Folw, other, Phychiatry
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