Posts Tagged ‘Panic’
Anxiety Home Remedies- What You Can Do to Help Your Anxiety
Copyright (c) 2008 Hailey Harris
Anxiety home remedies have become a popular area of interest these days. Now-a-days, almost everyone is troubled with anxiety disorders. Besides medication an individual can also go for the numerous home remedies. These remedies are quite beneficial from the health point of view and they does not entail any side-effects. There is a sequence of home remedies that one can follow as long as it is not the extreme stage of the anxiety disorder. If an anxiety disorder does not affect the normal routine of a person, then he can surely go for anxiety home remedies to overcome the problem.
Different Anxiety Home Remedies
The foremost remedy that a person can follow is to try out certain exercises. Regular exercising not only provides physical relaxation to your body and soul but it also helps to overcome the mental strain. It also enhances the secretion of serotonin chemical secreted by the brain. The release of serotonin in the brain activates the nice and generous senses. So, whenever you are suffering from anxiety disorder, just go outside and take a long walk. Playing your favorite sport will also help in reducing the anxiety disorder. Besides this, if you think about other interesting things, it will definitely give you a feeling of mental and physical relaxation. An alternative home remedy for anxiety disorder is the intake of rich and nutritious diet. There are certain herbs which on included in the food supplements will definitely prove helpful in reducing the level of anxiousness and fear. These include chamomile, skullcap, orange blossom, cloves, balm, thyme, lavender, hops, wood betony and much more.
Another crucial remedy to overcome the anxiety disorder is interaction with the family and friends. Adopting a social attitude will definitely calm the feelings of anxiety. If a person remains in the company of optimistic and fun loving people, his mind remains distracted from all the mental worries and illnesses. Prefer to move in the social gatherings along with your friends or planning a movie outing is also a nice way to overcome the anxiety. Even expressing your viewpoint and sharing your ideas with others can also prove to be helpful.
A final remedial measure to overcome distress or anxiety is to take a hot shower bath. This will definitely revolutionize your thoughts regarding life. Take a time from your busy schedule and plan a weekend or a short holiday trip. This will not provide relaxation to your body but also improves the mental state. You can also spend some time in playing extra co-circular activities.
Ashwagandha- An Anxiety Herbal Remedy
Ashwagandha is a well-known herbal remedy that helps to cure the anxiety disorder. In the Ayurvedic science, it is popular by the name of Indian Ginseng or Winter Cherry.
Ashwagandha is basically a little evergreen shrub found not only in India but also in the major parts of Mediterranean as well as African countries. It contains anti-depressant & anti-anxiety properties. This shrub basically belongs to the pepper family and is used for various medicinal purposes. This shrub is highly used in Ayurvedic medicine. The roots of Ashwagandha contain iron and steroidal lactones, which is termed as withanolides. Besides curing anxiety, it is also good from the health point of view. It also helps to overcome stress, low immunity and osteoarthritis.
General Anxiety Disorder Symptoms
General Anxiety Disorder or GAD as it is known is another type of anxiety disorder. It affects roughly 4 to 5 million people of the American population alone. If you suffer from this Disorder symptoms can include but are not limited to those also suffered by panic disorder victims. It has also been found that it affects women proportionally more that it does men.
The symptoms are many and vary from person to person. There are however a few symptoms that are the same across the board for most people and which generally characterize their lives and lifestyles. The sufferer will live in a chronic and exaggerated state of worry and tension most of the time. Extreme emotions may arise even if there is nothing happening to provoke these feelings. Symptoms can also induce the sufferer to be always anticipating disaster.
One such is chronic and incessant worrying. Although worry is a natural emotion and most of us experience it from time to time in our daily lives, for the sufferer their worry is chronic and most times pathological. Most times the chronic worrier will let their worries overtake their world and will sometimes let it go so far as to incapacitate them in their daily lives.
By this, I do not mean that there is no choice over whether or not they worry ceaselessly, on the contrary the person might be aware that they are worrying needlessly but be unable to stop it or help themselves.
By the same token it can bring on insomnia, panic attacks and depression. Intense anxiety and fear are also quite common to these symptoms.
Other more physical, symptoms include headaches, diarrhea and nausea, lightheadedness, trembling or twitching. A palpitating or pounding heart, shortness of breath and trouble concentrating are also effects that can occur.
Irritability and mood swings, constant tension coupled with the inability to relax are all General Anxiety Disorder symptoms, and are all contributing features to other symptoms as well.
This vicious cycle can sometimes take its toll not only on the Disorder sufferer but also on the family of the sufferer. The pressures of living with a person who suffers from GAD, the inability to cope with the persistent and sometimes inconsequential worrying, the constant depression and mood swings can all take their toll. Most families do not survive too well if someone within the family suffers from this disorder.
That is why medical attention should be sought as soon as possible to alleviate your symptoms. General Anxiety Disorder can be cured and you should know this. Treatment methods are readily available to you and it is merely a matter of finding the courage to go out and find it. Rest assured that your doctor or therapist can help you in alleviating your symptoms properly and it will only take a little time and patience and will power on your part to cure yourself.
Panic Attack- Making a Bad Situation Worse
Many people live their lives having little happen to them out of the ordinary. Some of us however lead a very exciting, if not emotional life caused by unannounced and unwanted anxiety panic attacks. This isn’t to say that those who suffer from panic are having a good time if only because they can’t control the feelings, circumstances or timing of the panic.
A panic or anxiety attack for many feels like a heightened sense of awareness. Physical symptoms may include your heart racing, and face flushes, shortness of breath, and an almost dizzying array of feelings that can make someone nauseous. A very common symptom of panic is a sense of impending death. This is caused by the very real physical symptoms triggered by an emotional or mental state that’s very overwhelming. Rather than the kind of adrenaline rush excitement, one might get from riding a roller coaster, a panic attack comes on without warning.
Believe it or not panic attacks are actually part of our basic survival instinct. Many panic researchers believe that these attacks may be caused by your body triggering the fight or flight survival response. When a person is in a situation that they have identified as dangerous, the body may start preparing itself for a potential life-threatening situation. The rapid heartbeat, skin flush and shortness of breath are all typical symptoms of an adrenaline rush.
Adrenaline is a hormone that can place your body into a fight or flight preparation and response to an identified life threatening scenario. The bodily changes are designed to get us prepared to run away from a situation or to fight and neutralize the problem. Either way our bodies need to be placed on edge and be ready to react to whatever happens.
Panic attack sufferers however can experience this same fight or flight bodily preparation without warning. Panic attack can show up while doing even mundane things such as walking the dog or reading a book. Imagine walking down to pick up the mail and having all the symptoms of a full adrenaline rush wash over your body. This can happen at any time or anyplace for someone suffering with anxiety or panic attacks.
Anxiety or panic disorder can degenerate into a very debilitating situation. Fearing another panic attack, many people will begin to avoid situations where an attack may have occurred previously. This causes more problems as sufferers will start to avoid normal situations such as checking the mail are going to the mall. The fear of the possibility of another anxiety attack can drive many to modifying their behavior thereby making the potential situation much worse.
Panic disorders can develop into serious mental health issues. It’s critical that if you suffer regularly from panic that you seek professional help.
How to Recognise a Panic Attack in Children and Adults
Recognising a panic attack.
Panic attacks in children and adults can be extremely frightening, but understanding what is happening is the first step towards beating the condition. The first thing to know is that although the symptoms are very real physical, not imagined, they are not life-threatening. However awful you fell at the time it will pass. A panic attack is a sudden rush of overwhelming fear that causes a range of physical symptoms often associated with hyperventilating. Attacks can occur at any time, often without warning, and because of their unpredictable nature, you may suffer intense anxiety between attacks.
Symptoms can include several of the following :-
* Dizziness or feeling faint.* Increased heart rate* Sweating, trembling or shaking.* Difficulty breathing.* Feeling of choking or nausea.* Chest pain.* Numbness or tingling sensations.* Chills or hot flushes.* Feelings of unreality and detachment.* Fear of losing control* Fear of dying* A sense of danger and an urge to escape* An attack can last minutes, and recur for up to two hours.
Telling the difference between a panic attack and a heart attack.
Because many of the symptoms are similar to a heart attack, it can be difficult to tell them apart. The most common symptom that isn’t usually present in a panic attack is extreme pain. Pain in the centre of the chest that lasts longer than a few minutes, is one sign of a heart attack. If your in doubt, especially if you haven’t had a panic attack before, you should seek immediate medical attention. Panic attacks can be incredibly debilitating if you don’t seek help. They can affect your work and relationships, and if left unchecked can increase your risk of clinical depression.
What causes them ?
Panic attacks can be caused by a variety of things, including a traumatic experience such as bereavement, or a life change such as having children. They can also be caused by an unpleasant experience. Diet can also play a role. Fasting or eating fatty foods which cause blood sugar levels to rise, can cause attacks, as can prescription medicines, caffeine, alcohol and recreational drugs.
nstant fix.Many panic attacks are accompanied by over-breathing, which is caused by breathing too fast. This disturbs the body’s balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide. The sensations that result can be very unpleasant but breathing properly can really help as a temporary solution. Look here and see how you can stop children’s and adult panic attacks now !
Depression Therapeutic Tactics
Various resources are available to help you manage and conquer depression. Mental health services often choose between therapeutic plans in treating depression based on the severity. The approaches in therapy could include Cognitive Behavior, Interpersonal Therapy, and the like. Some of the tactics include Eclectic strategies, group therapy, nonverbal therapy, metaphorical strategies, classic gestalt tactics, rational therapy, classic behavior tactics, expressive tactics, and more. Eclectic strategies often include assorted techniques while using diverse tactics to free the mind of negative energies.
Some of the symptoms of depression include continuous sadness, anxiety, and emptiness. Pessimistic thoughts, and feelings of despair or hopelessness, are symptoms of depression. Inability to enjoy common activities, excessive guilt, helplessness, feelings of worthlessness, declining of energy, insomnia, fatigue, suicidal thoughts and/or attempts, restlessness, chronic pains and aches, headaches, appetite and body changes in weight, concentration deficiency, forgetfulness, complications with making decisions, and so on are symptoms of depression.
Cognitive behavioral therapy is widely used in mental health offices. The therapeutic strategy concerns with gaining of knowledge, which relates to processes of developing knowledge by usage of reasoning, perceptions, and intuitions. Primarily the therapy focuses on conforming behaviors and the way a person thinks or reacts to emotional responses. Interpersonal therapeutic procedures often include relationships between the patient, therapist, family, friends, or in groups. Thus, the therapist will monitor the patients interactions and work to build social tools, including communication, socializing, interacting, and the like.
The classic gestalt tactics commonly is, utilized in mental health services. Gestalt is a branch of mental health or psychology, which focuses on behaviors to treat the patient effectively. Still, gestalt focuses on perceptions, while moving to integrate the whole thinking process, thus moving to stimuli healing and response control. Thus, gestalt therapy is the study and analysis of perceptions and behaviors combined. The counselor will look at the patient from a standing point, while watching his or her responses or reactions to configurationally arranged wholes by means of stress on the consistency of physiological and psychological events, while noting rejections of breakdown or psychoanalysis into discrete or disconnected events of stimulus, response, and perception.
Perceptions are the primary focus in gestalt therapy, since it plays part in the way a person views things. Thus, perceptions are our insight, awareness, and discernment combined. Yet, perception is also our sensitivity, observations, assessing skills, experiences, views, opinions, readings, and the like, as well. Perceptions also affect our visualization skills. In sum, perceptions is our way of thinking, seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, and the like. In shorter terms, perceptions are our antenna ears.
Yet, perceptions extend further in gestalt therapy, since the therapist will also consider perceptional counterparts, such as judgments, acumen, discrimination, tastes, and sensitivity. Consequences are included in this therapy, or rather facing consequences. To help you understand how therapy can help you manage and conquer your depression, let’s consider a phrase in gestalt therapy, called the blocking and unblocking phrase.
Test: DO not feel alarmed, since the test is merely a way to help you see how gestalt works to help you manage and conquer depression.
Unblocking strategies: You will be, provided evocative questions in a list, which the goals are to locate or sport blocking areas in your mind.
Consequences:
Failures:
Emotions:
Resources:
Hurdles:
Effort:
Attempt:
Repress:
Suppress:
Stress:
Forget:
Mistakes:
Inhibitions:
Obsessing:
Compulsive:
Impulse:
Questions:
What do you think the ________of our depression is?
How do you perceive failure?
What are your ________saying to you?
How to you relate to stress?
What are the ___________of your impulsive reactions?
Where do you hold back in expressing your __________?
Continue the process, by answering the questions. While this is not a full comprehensive example of the gestalt, it is a start in helping you to discover self.
Anxiety And Panic Attacks - Are Anti-Depressant Pills Effective?
In today’s fast-paced world, do most of the people find 24 hours a day enough to accomplish the tasks that they wanted to? More often than not, they may find that they do not have enough time. This lack of time, load and pressure of work creates anxiety and produces panic situations. The result is mind full of tensions and worries. All these factors combined cause loss of sleep, loss of health and other kinds of mental and physical illnesses.
All these things combined drive a person to the use of anti-depressants and other medications. Anti-depressants have been quite popular in treating stress related diseases in the past and to an extent even now. Taking pills is a commonly observed scene across the world now. Nevertheless, is it the correct way out? Is there any other alternative to it?
Millions of people across the globe have been taking anti-depressants for years and are if not completely satisfied. However, anti-depressants take at least a few weeks to act on our body and a significant number of people taking these drugs are not very satisfied.
The biggest problem with the general physicians is that they have very little training in the field of anxiety and panic situations treatments. Thus, it does not become difficult only for the patient but also the doctor to prescribe drugs under such circumstances.
The point here is that it is not difficult to deal with cases of high cholesterol or blood pressure or high blood sugar etc. the doctor can prescribe any particular treatment for any of these diseases because there are established standards. You can take a few pills and it will come under control. However, unlike all these depression and anxiety is a very complicated illness. It cannot be analysed in a matter of a few hours and tests. The treatment for such illnesses can go on for up to a few months or years and even the medication goes on for an equally long time. Treatment could be very clearly inferred from here, since the results for this kind of illness are not instantaneous.
The important thing in dealing with such cases is the knowledge of the physician. The physician dealing with such kinds of cases must be well informed of the past and all the other related events in connection with the patient. He must also be well informed of the past illnesses and medication prescribed. It is the responsibility of the doctor that he must not make the patient entirely dependant on drugs. He should also encourage the patient to undergo psychotherapy as the main course of recovery and drugs should be used as a secondary curing agent.
Latest trends have proven that when psychotherapy and drugs are used together, they have a far more beneficial result than with pills alone. In addition, in most of the cases of mild attack only psychotherapy should be prescribed. This would also help in keeping the patient away from otherwise almost addictive anti-anxiety, anti-panic drugs.
Panic and anxiety lead to depression at a later stage and are the most common causes of suicides. Most of the teenage suicide cases have been largely due to the factors. As such, we do not see suicides as an innate part of depression but it is the end result in many a cases.
Conclusion
But at the end of the day it is up to you to decide whether you want to take these anti-depressant and anti-anxiety pills or not, but you must weigh the pros and cons of these medicines before taking any further steps. You must consult not just your doctor but also your parents, your friends, your spouse before making a final decision. Above all, you must be totally convinced of your state before going in for any kind of therapy.
What is Panic Attack
Panic attack is a period of intensive fear that is often abrupt and is often a sign of mental and emotional distress.
In some individuals they appear without apparent cause and most often the distressed individual reports loosing control of oneself. Often they are provoked or triggered by a sense of trying to escape from someone or from the place where the attack started. Although in normal cases, the individual when subjected to a stimulus often resorts to a fight syndrome as a form of protection, in panic attacks, the individual employs the flight syndrome. Often episodes of panic attack come with chest pain and shortness of breath with a tunnel vision even after seeking medical advice or attention.
Panic attack is different from other anxiety disorders because of its sudden intensity and its occurrence in individuals. Often panic attacks are psychological conditions but may not be a sign of a mental disorder. At least in normal individuals, a panic attack may occur in a year particularly in persons with anxiety and phobias. As a result of a triggering factor, they are often short-lived and will subside once the triggering factor is eliminated. In some individuals exposed to a panic attack, one attack may trigger another leading to a nervous breakdown.
Scientific studies point out to the imbalance of serotonin and norepinephrine as the culprits in the incidence of panic attacks where the neurological function is subjected to a chemical imbalance. Often genetics play a role in the disorder and has been found to run in families.
Common symptoms include trembling, palpitations, and shortness of breath, sweating, nausea, dizziness, hyperventilation and tingling sensations. Others develop a sense of being choked or smothered. In repeated and unprovoked panic attacks a sign or manifestation of a panic disorder may ensue. However panic attacks are also associated with other common anxiety disorders like in persons with phobias whose exposure to their feared object or scenario trigger an attack.
Panic attacks are potentially disabling, but it can be controlled. The various symptoms of a panic attack are often mistaken as a cardiac attack or a life-threatening medical illness. This misconception often increases the incidence of future panic attacks. People often submit to the hospital emergency rooms when they are having a panic attack, and extensive medical tests are performed to rule out other conditions, which creates further anxiety.
Treatment for panic attacks includes medications and psychotherapy. Normally the mental health practitioners assisting you in the treatment of panic disorder are psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers. To submit for a medical treatment for panic disorder however, one should visit a psychiatrist. Psychotherapy may be provided by a clinical or counseling psychologist. Medications can also be used to break any psychological connection between a specific phobia and panic attacks.
Common medications prescribed are antidepressants or anti-anxiety drugs in anticipation or during a panic attack.
Some psychologists believe that usual exposure to the phobia trigger with medical assistance can often break the phobia-panic pattern, allowing people to gradually adjust to the stressor without the help of medications. However, minor phobias that develop as a result of a panic attack can be prevented without medication through behavioral therapy or simply by assisted exposure.
Under a combination of therapy and medications, the best results are often seen. For some, a fair improvement may be noticed in a short period of less than 8 weeks. Finding the right pair of medications and mental health professional takes more effort. Appropriate treatment by an experienced professional can often prevent panic attacks or at least reduce its severity and frequency.
Other panic attacks caused by an underlying emotional problem like depression, alcoholism and drug addiction are more frequent in people with panic disorder. The underlying problem needs to be treated before the total panic disorder is completely or at least partially eliminated.
Most less severe and less recurrent attacks submitted to the emergency rooms are advised to breath in paper bags to help boost the carbon dioxide levels in the body.
How to Find Out If You Suffer From Panic Attacks!
IMAGINE GETTING RID OF YOUR ANXIETY AND PANIC ATTACKS WITHOUT GOING TO THE DOCTOR! http://www.nomorepanicstory.net
However first you need to know if you actually suffer from panic attacks.
A TYPICAL PANIC ATTACK
You feel a sudden surge of overwhelming anxiety and fear. Your heart pounds and you can´t breathe. You feel dizzy and sick to your stomach. You may even feel like you are going crazy or dying.
There are 13 symptoms to look out for and if you experience at least 4 of these symptoms culminating within a period of ten to fifteen minutes and then slowly diminishing within a couple of hours you are having a panic attack.
Always go to a doctor to check your heart the first time you experience something like this. It could be a heart attack.
If you experience these symptoms and there is nothing wrong with your heart or you just seem to be too young to have a heart attack you can be sure it is an anxiety attack.
HERE ARE THE 13 SYMPTOMS TO LOOK OUT FOR:
Raging heartbeat.
Difficulty breathing.
Terror that is paralyzing.
Fear of losing control.
Heart palpitation.
Dizziness.
Sweating.
Trembling.
Choking.
Fear.
Hot flashes or cold chills.
Tingling in fingers or toes.
Deathfear.
The key symptom/reason of repeated panic attacks is the persistent fear of getting another panic attack. This fear triggers more panic attacks.
Panic attacks normally appear when you are doing something that is NOT stressful, like sitting watching tv or even when you are sleeping.
Some more interesting facts are that about three fourths of panic patients are women and that most people have their first panic attack as a teenager.
CAUSES OF ANXIETY AND PANIC ATTACKS
The exact causes are unclear but the tendency to have panic attacks seem to run in families. Also there is a connection with major life transitions such as graduating from college and entering the workplace, getting married, and having a baby. Severe stress, sucha as the death of a loved one, divorce or job loss can also trigger a panic attack.
There could also be medical conditions that causes the attacks or other physical causes.
PANIC ATTACKS OFTEN LEAD TO OTHER COMPLICATIONS
Agoraphobia or other phobias, depression, substance abuse, medical complications, even suicide.
A recent study showed that people who suffer from panic attacks:
Are more prone to alcohol and other drug abuse.
Have greater risk of attempting suicide.
Spend more time in hospital emergency rooms.
Spend less time on hobbies, sports and other satisfying activities.
Tend to be financially dependent on others.
Report to be emotionally and physically less healthy than non-sufferers.
Are afraid of driving more than a few miles away from home.
As you can see your quality of life can be severely damaged if you do not treat your panic attacks. This is why it is so very important to decide to take control over your panic.
Did you find this article helpful? If you did, then take a look at some techniques that could help you get rid of your panic attacks for good! http://www.NoMorePanicStory.Net
Imagine the Terror of a Panic Attack
Many people who suffer from panic attacks and other anxiety disorders are usually intellectually honest enough to admit that the fear or anxiety is irrational. This isn’t surprising as many of us can logically work through a behavior, admit that it’s not good for us but still continue to do that behavior.
Unlike many anxiety disorders, a panic attack seems to come on without provocation. That is, it appears not to be associated with any specific event or situation and also is characterized by physical symptoms.
You may have experienced a lot of these symptoms. If you enjoy watching a good suspense or horror movie. The tightness in your chest, difficulty breathing and the general feelings of suspense could all be considered part of panic. Panic attacks are very similar to an adrenaline rush that prepares your body for a fight or flight response. Your heart starts pounding, which increases the blood flow to your muscles, your feet and hands may start feeling numb, shaking her trembling, faster breathing delivers more oxygen into your lungs and there’s a general feeling of dread.
Other symptoms such as dizziness and choking can be physical responses to the increase in hormonal levels. Being flushed and feeling your heart pounding is normal when your heart is working harder.
Recognize that depending on the situation, these symptoms are quite normal. If you are in a serious or life-threatening situation, your body naturally kicks in, hormones such as adrenaline and epinephrine to prepare you for physical action that may be needed for your survival. These hormones can prepare you to either fight off or work through a dangerous situation or run from it.
The differences between a panic attack and the feelings you may have watching a suspenseful movie is one of severity and control. While at the movie theater if things become too intense, you simply close your eyes and look away and continue to stay in control. A person suffering a panic attack however, cannot control the severity of the feelings are physical symptoms.
To make matters even more complex, a panic attack can come on at any time and in any place. Imagine walking down to check your mail in getting this overwhelming sense of dread coupled with a very intense physical symptoms and there’s nothing you can do about it. This is the life of someone suffering with panic.
The good news is that panic attacks are seldom dangerous. It is important however that you obtain an accurate diagnosis of panic attacks, because the symptoms are very similar to several very deadly illnesses. This makes it critical that anyone suffering with panic be examined by a qualified medical professional to obtain an accurate diagnosis and eliminate possible physical reasons for the symptoms.
Is There a Relationship Between Panic Attacks and Depression?
Well, the short answer is YES… Here’s the details:
In the first place, chronic panic disorder can easily cause depression. This is most likely to occur in people who are exhausted from the chronic anxiety that can come with panic disorder, and also people who have developed agoraphobia (i.e. the avoidance of activities due to a fear of panic attacks) to such an extent that it is forcing them to retreat / hibernate from life (i.e. not going to work, not socializing with friends, no longer driving or leaving the house because of a fear of panic attacks). When panic disorder is clearly causing depression, patients often report that the panic and/or agoraphobia gets worst FIRST, then the depression comes later. They are also likely to report that if I could make their panic and / or agoraphobia go away, then they would no longer be depressed. Such patients would probably benefit from focusing on their panic disorder first rather then their depression per se (unless the depression is so bad that they are having serious thoughts of ending their life).
Very intense depression can sometimes trigger panic attacks. For a large percentage of people, depression and a least some level of anxiety come hand in hand. When the anxiety is intense, this kind of depression is sometimes referred to as an “agitated” depression. If the anxiety component of the depression is strong enough, it can definitely lead to anxiety attacks (i.e. where you can’t stop worrying about the problems in your life) but can also sometimes (more rarely) trigger panic attacks (i.e. intense episodes where you feel like you are dying or going crazy right then and there). Patients who have panic attacks triggered by depression report that their depression got worst FIRST, and that they never have panic attacks unless they are depressed. They would most likely benefit from a treatment that focuses on their depression first.
One final possibility: some people have both panic disorder and depression independent of each other. In other words, they sometimes have panic attacks when they are NOT depressed, and they also sometimes experienced depression when they were NOT having regular panic attacks or agoraphobia. In this situation, the panic can trigger a depression AND the depression can trigger panic (i.e. for most people with panic disorder, any significant change, whether it’s depression, a cold, lack of sleep, or a hangover, can trigger panic because they are so sensitive to their bodies). In these situations, it is best to start with treatment that addresses whichever problem seems the most intense right now. Luckily a number of medications (i.e. SSRI’s, if started at a LOW dose so as not to trigger panic) and / or psychotherapies (i.e. such as cognitive behavioral therapy) work well for both panic disorder and depression.
I hope this information was helpful. Good luck in your fight against panic disorder and/or depression.