The Cure for Anxiety and Panic
 

Many people with anxiety disorders can be helped with treatment. Therapy for anxiety disorders often involves medication or specific forms of psychotherapy.

Medications, although not cures, can be very effective at anxiety treatment. Today, thanks to research by scientists at NIMH and other research institutions, there are more medications available than ever before to help with treatment of anxiety disorders. So if one drug is not successful, there are usually others to try. In addition, new medications to treat anxiety symptoms are under development.

For most of the medications that are prescribed for the treatment of anxiety disorders, the doctor usually starts the patient on a low dose and gradually increases it to the full dose. Every medication has side effects, but they usually become tolerated or diminish with time. If side effects become a problem, the doctor may advise the patient to stop taking the medication and to wait a week--or longer for certain drugs--before trying another one. When treatment is near an end, the doctor will taper the dosage gradually.

Research has also shown that behavioral therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy can be effective for anxiety treatment.

Behavioral therapy focuses on changing specific actions and uses several techniques to decrease or stop unwanted behavior. For example, one technique trains patients in diaphragmatic breathing, a special breathing exercise involving slow, deep breaths to reduce anxiety.  They should be practiced when you are feeling your best. It will then teach your body to adapt to breathing in this way therefore reducing or eliminating panic attacks. Learning breathing techniques is necessary because people who are anxious often hyperventilate, taking rapid shallow breaths that can trigger rapid heartbeat, lightheadedness, and other symptoms. Another technique--exposure therapy--gradually exposes patients to what frightens them and helps them cope with their fears.