Question:
I realise this is not an easy question but...
I will be seeing my (UK) GP this Friday and asking for some kind of
medication for treating my Panic Attacks.
These most often take(TOOK) place on tube and overground trains. I had
some CBT sessions a couple of years ago but did not really find them
entirely useful.
In fact I haven't used the tube for some years due to the PA's which
takes some working around if you live in London
Answer:
Whichever one produces the desired result with the least amount of
side-effects. Unfortunately, the exact AD will differ for each person.
Moreover, most docs tend to have experience with only certain ADs,
which may diminish the range of Ads available to you as long as you
stay with that doc.
If a person has experienced anxiety symptoms frequently over time, the
brain -- trying to be helpful -- builds high-speed pathways to the
circuits that trigger the anxiety response. Tennis players take
advantage of this pathway-building feature by practicing moves over and
over until they become automatic. Same thing with riding a two-wheeled
vehicle. The difference with anxiety disorders is that the path leads
to circuits that detect and respond to danger, which kicks off a whole
bunch of uncomfortable/alarming body sensations.
Now that your response to trains has become automatic, the brain
anticipates danger whenever you need to use a train and revs up the
anxiety cycle. Unfortunately, the brain doesn't know it's overreacting
to the situation and that there's really no danger at all.
In situations like this, it often takes a significant amount of
CBT/desensitization to prove to the brain that there is no danger. Once
convinced, the brain will begin to dissolve the high-speed pathway on
its own. Unfortunately, the trigger may be so automatic that it is
resistant to talk therapy and may require medication to stop the
trigger before CBT/desensitization techniques are able to work.
