When panic attacks are frequent or debilitating, medication, usually the same types used to treat depression, can eradicate panic attacks. When panic attacks are marked primarily by physical symptoms, medication which blocks the effect of excess adrenaline on your body can be very effective. Behavior therapy and Cognitive-Behavior therapy can also be effective, especially when behavioral elements are predominant symptoms. More on Anxiety Disorders Phobias Phobias occur in several forms. A specific phobia is a fear of a particular object or situation.
Social phobia is a fear of being painfully embarrassed in a social setting.
And agoraphobia, which often accompanies panic disorder, is a fear of being in any situation that might provoke a panic attack, or from which escape might be difficult if one occurred. Many people experience specific phobias, intense, irrational fears of certain things or situations dogs, closed-in places, heights, escalators, tunnels, highway driving, water, flying, and injuries involving blood are a few of the more common ones. Adults with phobias realize their fears are irrational, but often facing, or even thinking about facing, the feared object or situation brings on a panic attack or severe anxiety. Specific Phobias Specific phobias strike more than 1 in 10 people. No one knows just what causes them, though they seem to run in families and are a little more prevalent in women.