The number of people falling prey to panic attacks are increasing by the day. Unfortunately, people undermine the severity of the attacks and don’t avail treatment until much later. Based on the condition of the person, doctors may either suggest medication or recommend various therapies.
Studies have shown that cognitive therapy is one of the most useful approaches to over any anxiety disorder, including panic attacks. About 85% of the people who underwent this treatment were successful in overcoming panic attacks. Significant changes were visible in about six to eight sessions.
There are two aspects that come together to form cognitive therapy. The first aspect is to identify and change the patterns of thinking which give rise to unbiased fears. The other aspect is the exposure of the person to fearful situations in a controlled environment so he/she can learn to cope with it easily. The former is referred to as cognitive therapy while the latter is called exposure therapy.
Depending on the intensity and severity of the panic attacks, the doctors recommend a particular therapy. Most of the times, exposure therapy is sufficient enough to restore the person back to normal behavior; however, in cases like agoraphobia, cognitive therapy in conjunction with exposure therapy is recommended.
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