What to do when someone is having an anxiety attack?!
Question: What to do when someone is having an anxiety attack!?
My husband and I run a youth program, and last night one of the teens had an anxiety attack!. She's been seen by the doctor and has been given meds, but she's been having them more frequently!. I've never experienced someone having an anxiety attack before, so I don't know much about the problem!. She was breathing very hard, and I am assuming it was making her body weak, because she needed help walking to the car, and she was either passing out, or trying to rest her eyes and head!.!.!.but every time she did, her breathing would stop!. I had to keep snapping her back to consciousness!. So, I guess my question is!.!.!.aside from bringing her to the hospital, was there anything else I could have done to try to calm her down (for future reference)!? And also, what exactly causes anxiety attacks (I would just like to get a better understanding)!?Www@Answer-Health@Com
Answers:
anxiety is created primarily from stress!. each individual has a different stress level!. what may cause a panic attack in one person, may only slightly affect another, if at all!. it has to do with a persons coping skills!. the stressor that precipitates anxiety is whatever the individual perceives as danger, a loss, or a threat to safety and security!. a way a person perceives is based around their background!. common perceptions are health or the ability to perform and function, self esteem or self respect, and self control!. control or power over the individuals life, status or prestige, resources (emotional, physical, financial, spiritual, social, and cultural), loved ones, freedom or independence, needs goals desires and expectations!. anxety is great emotional pain!. it often requires a person to seek help from doctors and counselors!. when i get an anxiety panic attack, i would have to go lay down and force myself to mentally calm down!. i think it starts with the breathing!. a person can breath into a paper bag and everyone else must remain calm or it is more intensified!. you talk to the person and keep reminding them to breath slowly!. i would try to breath to hard (gasping) and it just becomes worse!. people have to stay calm!. this is a very big thing!. i had a friend talk to me on the phone for three hours til i could finally be normal again!. i had built up so much anxiety over the course of time and it just all exploded when one more thing topped the stress off!. a person can only hold in so much stress!. it takes so much from a person, especially one who does not handle stress well!. i forgot that as soon as i feel it coming on, i take a pill to help reduce the severity!. i think that it is important to see a counselor because it gives a person a chance to talk about stressful things as they are happening!. then you are taught all the prevention thinking!. eliminate the stress as it is happening in life and you no longer build a big pile of it and eventually blow into a full panic attack!. it is possible, too, that her medication needs to be increased or changed!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
She needs counseling, and the technique would take too long to explain here!.
As an emergency measure, you could have taken her to a quiet, private room and had her lie down on her side so that if she does pass out, her airway won't be blocked by her tongue!. If she does pass out and her airway is not blocked, her breathing will naturally return to normal!. Let her rest!.
Keep in mind that if someone has been breathing hard for awhile, they don't need to breathe as much for a little while in order to balance out their biochemistry!. They may skip 2 - 4 breaths in a row to counteract the hyperventilation, but it might seem like a lot longer than that to you while you are anxious about their breathing!.
Once you have her in a private room laying on her side, just sit quietly and watch her!. Look calm!. Once she is breathing normally, have her sit up, take a long, slow, deep breath, have her try to guess what caused the panic attack, and reason with her!.
Do not be overly assuring because she could get subconsciously addicted to the response to her panic attacks, and make it harder for her to get over them!. Also, don't coddle her because that could easily embarrass her!. She is not doing this consciously or intentionally, and does not want to be treated like a baby!.
It would take pages to explain everything that causes a panic attack, but panic attacks are most common in teenage females due to the particular hormonal changes!.
You have to accept for yourself that a panic attack is no big deal or you are likely to make it worse!. She still needs to see that there is an adult in charge of the situation, which will assure her that everything is going to be all right!. If you get nervous, she will pick up on your insecurity!. Be a rock so she can draw on your stability!.
Ah growing pains - I sure don't miss those ;)Www@Answer-Health@Com
As an emergency measure, you could have taken her to a quiet, private room and had her lie down on her side so that if she does pass out, her airway won't be blocked by her tongue!. If she does pass out and her airway is not blocked, her breathing will naturally return to normal!. Let her rest!.
Keep in mind that if someone has been breathing hard for awhile, they don't need to breathe as much for a little while in order to balance out their biochemistry!. They may skip 2 - 4 breaths in a row to counteract the hyperventilation, but it might seem like a lot longer than that to you while you are anxious about their breathing!.
Once you have her in a private room laying on her side, just sit quietly and watch her!. Look calm!. Once she is breathing normally, have her sit up, take a long, slow, deep breath, have her try to guess what caused the panic attack, and reason with her!.
Do not be overly assuring because she could get subconsciously addicted to the response to her panic attacks, and make it harder for her to get over them!. Also, don't coddle her because that could easily embarrass her!. She is not doing this consciously or intentionally, and does not want to be treated like a baby!.
It would take pages to explain everything that causes a panic attack, but panic attacks are most common in teenage females due to the particular hormonal changes!.
You have to accept for yourself that a panic attack is no big deal or you are likely to make it worse!. She still needs to see that there is an adult in charge of the situation, which will assure her that everything is going to be all right!. If you get nervous, she will pick up on your insecurity!. Be a rock so she can draw on your stability!.
Ah growing pains - I sure don't miss those ;)Www@Answer-Health@Com
An anxiety attack can last anywhere between a few moments to 30 or more minutes!. It
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