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A comment of anger and panic attacks - finding a cure

Chickenista left the following comment on my post "Don't torture yourself". She writes:
When I get an attack I do the deep breathing and walk. I can't stand to just sit. It makes it worse. But sometimes that doesn't even help and I end up talking my meds..... I get very angry too while its happening because I can't control it. That doesn't help.
Yes, it is a common reaction which I have had too, the anger at oneself. To be honest you are doing yourself an injustice. The inability to control the oncome of a panic attack, is not your fault. If we could control it we would not be having panic attacks. Yes, I understand your frustration but getting angry with yourself only makes you feel bad about yourself and it lowers your self-esteem. I think the good thing about what you are saying is that you have the ability to do your deep breathing and walking inspite of the attack. That is great. Sometimes you are right - even that does not always work. But don't get angry at yourself, be kind to yourself. Anger is a negative emotion and a negative emotion about yourself is to be avoided.

Social phobia and panic attacks - let us not underestimate the nature of the beast

In general we would be well advised not to underestimate the severity of social phobias and panic attacks if they are left untreated. They can and do affect every facet of an individual's life - working life, social life, relationships, hobbies. Avoidance of situations becomes extremely restrictive and worse - increasingly restrictive. No case of the illness shuld be left untreated in my opinion as there is evidence that - untreated - it is a progressive illness.

Take a simple example of a sudden panic attack while driving. This could lead to a fear of driving and of avoiding driving altogether. Consider how that alone could have a negative affect on a person's life. No public transport. How do you get to work? How do you meet friends? And again there is clear evidence that left untreated this disorder can lead to substance and alcohol abuse. Indeed many rehab programms today are a dual programm offering relief from the addiction and from the social anxiety disorder.

Why torture yourself ? - panic attacks are curable

There seems a general trend - correct me if I am wrong - that we can overcome our own unemplained panic attacks if we just try harder. I could not disagree more. Indeed, I think the more one tries to fight a panic attack, the stronger and more frightening it becomes. We tend to procrastinate and just continue avoiding situations we are uneasy with - time and time again. And our world just gets smaller. In previous posts I have already pointed to a number of alternatives. Getting medical advice is the first and most important step. Do it!