First Steps In Coping With Panic Attacks and Depression

Yeah, there are days like that.

The following are some good suggestions for first steps to take to address panic attacks and depression.  Panic attacks and depression usually go hand-in-hand, especially with women.  However, they are very treatable and can be managed well.

What I usually recommend for anyone dealing with panic attacks and depression is the following, which you can adjust to your liking, but this is good advice coming from someone who sees this on a daily basis in his work (all the usual disclaimers about running this by local doctors/counseling professionals applies):

1.  Get a COMPLETE physical, including bloodwork and a cardio workup if you haven’t already–panic attacks could be mitral valve prolapse, the depression could by hypothyroidism, for example.

2.  Do NOT have JUST a general practitioner managing your medication.  I can tell you horror stories of benzodiazepine addiction (e.g. Valium, Xanax, etc.) from GPs who didn’t know when to stop or say no.  If it is depression and/or panic attacks, a psychiatrist or psychiatric nurse practitioner should be managing the meds, preferably one who is well-recommended by other professionals and not just picked at random.

3.  I strongly, strongly, strongly recommend psychotherapy too.  Research suggests that a combination of psychotherapy and medication is most effective for handling moderate to severe cases, and mild to moderate cases can be treated with psychotherapy alone with good result.  Psychotherapy helps with understanding what is going on, getting an educated perspective on what is happening, accessing internal and external resources for coping, and giving you a space to deal with the stress of what is going on.  Don’t worry about “why” you have it at this point.  Focus on how you can cope.  You’ll have plenty of time to explore “why” when you get a clearer head.  If you pick a therapist, make sure that they are state-licensed, at least Masters trained, and that they know how to provide cognitive behavioral therapy, and possibly mindfulness-based therapy (both are highly recommended as evidence-based therapies for depression and anxiety).  If there is a strong component that has to do with relationships, working with someone who has some experience with couples or family therapy may also be helpful.  If possible, get one who is recommended by professionals who have seen good results with his/her work.

4.  Getting better involves three things:  Health, Social Activity, and Thought Content.  Keep it simple and stick to these three things.

–Health:  Healthy eating, exercise, sleep.  Lay off the caffeine, alcohol, and drugs to the extent that you are able.  Medications if a competent psychiatric professional prescribes them.

–Social Activity:  Make sure that you are having meaningful conversations with at least 3 people per day, and get out of the house at least 2 times per day to be with people and/or nature.  Have at least 1 weekly activity outside of the home that involves fun and being creative with the help of other people.  Consider making sure that your family members are also educated about what you are dealing with.

–Thought Content:  work with your therapist on finding ways to identify and change negative thoughts to more reality-based thinking.  Write down at least 1 positive thing that happened during the day before you go to bed.

5.  If you have a spiritual life, ask your Higher Power to help you with these things as well.  Access like-minded folk for support.

Any other tips that you have have gone through this (or know people who have) would like to share?

Related articles

• Women and Panic Attacks (everydayhealth.com)
• Panic Attacks (neumannpsychology.wordpress.com)
• Panic Attacks and Alcohol/Drugs (addictionts.com)

New Group for Depression and Bipolar Support at Psych Choices!

New Therapy Groups for Depression and Bipolar Disorder Forming

Feeling low all the time?  Unable to find joy in life?  Difficult to get out of the house?  

Having too much joy to the point that it interferes with your life?  Can’t sleep?  

Has mania or depression caused you to lose the confidence of family or friends?

Psych Choices is putting together a daytime (and eventually a nighttime) psychotherapy group for people who deal with depression and bipolar disorder to provide support, peer education, and direction for moving from suffering with these issues to living with them.

Group therapy is helpful for people who deal with depression and bipolar disorder because it provides a supportive, non-judgmental, and informative atmosphere where one can make change.  Insights from people going through the same thing and a trained and experienced psychotherapist can help you get better.

The daytime group will meet weekly at Psych Choices (5060 State Rd, 2nd Floor, Drexel Hill, PA) from 11:30a to 12:30p or 1:00p (depending on group size) on Thursdays, starting April 5, 2012.  The evening group is currently being set up, and most likely will be Mondays from 7:30-8:30p or 9p (depending on group size).  There will be a delay until the evening group is set up.

Some of the topics that can be discussed include but are not limited to:

• What is depression?  What is bipolar disorder?  How are they similar and different?
• Living beyond stigma
• Changing your thoughts changes your mood
• Predromal, Syndromal, and Postdromal symptoms
• Dealing with family, friends, and career
• Coping with suicidal thoughts
• What is a mood chart?

The group is run by Nate Prentice, MSW, LCSW, CAS-PC Student (http://nateprenticetherapy.com), a licensed clinical social worker and a psychotherapist who has successfully helped people who deal with this create a new life for over 22 years.

Time to come out from the darkness.  Time to come out from the blinding light.  Time to move into a place where you are content with a healthy, productive, and supported life.

Group therapy is usually covered by your insurance, or call to find out about our sliding scale fees.  Speak with your therapist or medication provider if you are interested.

NAMI’s stance on the mental health provisions of health reform.

NAMI, if you don’t already know, is the premier advocacy organization for the seriously mentally ill.  They are among the chief spokespeople.  Here is a Reuters report on their position re health care reform.

http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS207185+10-Sep-2009+PRN20090910?sp=true

Suffering with mental illness vs living with mental illness.

One of my pet peeves as a therapist is when someone says, “I’m suffering from depression” or “I suffer with bipolar disorder” or the like.  To me it just sounds like someone is defining their life by their mental illness, which has its benefits, but the costs outweigh the benefits, if you ask me.

I usually tell people who talk like this two things.  First, they are living with an illness–yes, there are times when they suffer, but I believe every illness has something positive t0 teach us, even if it is just the importance of living each day.

Secondly, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, may be about 900 pages long with hundreds of mental health and substance dependence diagnoses, but there are only two diagnoses that matter in my book.  Are you a good person or a bad person?  And if you are a bad person, what are you going to do about it?

Never make a mental health diagnosis who you are as a person.  Never.