Hi :)

[sylviaplath]

Hello

My name is Areti and I m from Greece...Most of the people here, as I saw, write about themselves..I found this interesting website as I was trying to find out how to deal with my brother's panic attacts... So, i m from the other side...how can I help??? but I also I have to admit how all this influences my life... because it is a loooong way and my brother I guess has just started...

 

[David Baxter PhD]

Welome to Psychlinks, Areti.

 

[Retired]

Hello Areti andwelcome to Psychlinks.

Sorry to hear about your brother's panic attacks, and you are to be commended for your concern for him and for trying to find information to help him.

Panic attacks can be terribly frightening for the person who experiences them, because in addition ot their anxiety, there might be physical effects such as tightness in the chest that can cause added anxiety.

How old is your brother and has he ever been seen by a doctor for any kind of treatment?

 

[sylviaplath]

hello!!
My brother is 21 years old. the first attact came in a period of his life where he had some Diarrhea problems and he was waiting to find out what the problem was..during the time we were waiting some results because of this problem he had his first panic attack (as the phycatrist said). he took a pill in order to call him down for a week i guess and after finding out that everything is ok with his intestine, a period of other symptoms came. he was claiming that he feels weak, tired and dizzy and with some chest pains sometimes...so he went to another phycatrist and he told him to try first for a longer time the first pills (zanax i guess,but maybe there is another name for this pills in uk). he started feeling that the symptoms were not so strong anymore.. now he stopped the pills since 3 days..but he still express a fear that he will never be well again and that he has these symptoms still. not so strong as before but still...
my problem is that i don't know how to support him..sometimes i feel that he wants to feel better but he is still afraid..is this smt that stays forever?should he try another treatment?is smt that he can overcome on his own as it seems that he was a bit helped by the 'calm down' pills?

thanks a lot... (and sorry about the language mistakes )

 

[AmZ]

Welcome Sylvia

From what you describe, your brother started off just like I did (nearly 3 months ago only), with having a bad stomach and the other symptoms you mentioned. It also sounds like maybe he thought it was something physically wrong with him and wasn't so aware (or not 100%) that it was anxiety-based. I also did this. My family doctor sent me to do loads of tests and said that I had a low white blood cell count so most likely had a virus and to rest at home. On the other hand, I went to the hospital one day because I felt so bad physically and was sent to the psychiatrist who told me it was anxiety and also gave me Xanax. I only realized several days later that it was NOTHING physical and that it was all due to anxiety and now take the medication on a daily basis.

I don't really want to go in to specifics of what I would recommend to you in your situation, as it really depends on your brother as a person as to how much he wants to talk about what is going on with him and not etc. All people are different. It's a very difficult situation for both you and your brother to be in - My sister was also in the same situation as you and no doubt was also wanting to ask the same questions as you are doing.

All I can really recommend is that you obviously tell him that you are there for him whenever he needs, regardless of whether he feels like he can maybe 'go-it-alone' or not or deal with everything himself (because it's highly likely that that is not the case). As far as medication, that is for a psychiatrist to decide depending on how bad his panic attacks and anxiety is and how frequent they happen etc. They can be taken even short term to help him so doesn't mean that he will need to take them for the rest of his life.

I don't think you mentioned, but it sounds like he should see a psychologist in order to sort out whatever is bothering him and so that he can be taught techniques to both deal with the anxiety/panic attacks and hopefully prevent them for the future. Maybe there are also things that are happening in his life that he can get help with too in therapy. I am saying all of this from all of my own personal experience, but can say that often, anxiety is made worse and can even start from keeping your feelings inside, and as much as you can be there for him, I think that a trained professional is a great and necessary thing that he'll need also in order that he feel better soon and in the future.

Hope I helped a bit!

Good luck with everything and I hope that your brother feels better very soon.

 

[Retired]

it sounds like he should see a psychologist in order to sort out whatever is bothering him and so that he can be taught techniques to both deal with the anxiety/panic attacks

Excellent advice!

Panic attacks are often associated with anxiety which is a treatable condition, but needs professional intervention. The best way to support your brother, Areti, is first to validate your brother's concerns as you appear to have done, and then persuade him to return to the psychiatrist who saw him.

You mentioned your brother was seen by two different psychiatrists...was this because the first was no longer available or because your brother wanted to make a change?

The medication the doctor prescribed is frequently used to treat panic disorders, but your brother should speak to the doctor about receiving additional supportive psychotherapy to help deal with the source of his anxiety, and the subsequent panic attacks.

We can only speculate, but perhaps the gastrointestinal disorder your brother experienced might have been associated with his anxiety.

Is your brother agreeable to seeing his doctor for further treatment?

 

[sylviaplath]

Yes as we can assume the gastrointestinal disorder was because of his anxiety...the first doctor was in a public hospital and he decided to go to a private doctor for better treatment. During his treatment with sanax he visited a phycologist for a few times... the problem is that he claims all the time that he can't realised what made him anxious... in my opinion this is the most important problem, he can't find a reason for having anxious feelings. In general he broke up with his girlfriend also during this period, so everything now seems so 'big' and difficult in order to make a new start. And also he was always a boy without reacting, without expressing and somebody could say that he didn't care so much...usually i was worried and he was always happy and positive...so your opinion is that propably he should continue with the doctoe even the symptoms are not so 'strong' anymore..

thank you so much all of you for your advices...they give me courage and strenght...

 

[Retired]

your opinion is that probably he should continue with the doctor even the symptoms are not so 'strong' anymore..

We cannot determine what if any further treatment your brother might need, only his doctor can do that. The decision on whether to seek treatment might depend on how much his symptoms are causing him distress and adversely affecting his quality of life. If that is so, then it would be recommended that he seek a professional opinion from his doctor or psychologist on how that distress might be helped.

In the end, it would be your brother's decision as to whether he is ready to seek treatment.

A person's quality of life should not be reduced by emotional or psychological distress, because there are treatments available and hope for relief.

It is good of you to have concern for your brother. Let us hope he finds the relief of his symptoms that he deserves, when he is ready.

 

[AmZ]

Good advice as always Steve

so your opinion is that propably he should continue with the doctoe even the symptoms are not so 'strong' anymore..

Also on that... I can add my personal experiences here and say that for a whole week I had no anxiety at all. I thought I was feeling better and that it probably wouldn't come back again. Now, I'm not saying that it's the same for everyone of course, but at least for me, it came back. That's why I think that your brother should see a psychologist, at least to 'go over' what happened with him and also get to the root of all of the things that caused him the anxiety in the first place. Also to learn how to be aware for the future. I was also like this and still am to a certain degree. I wasn't aware about what was causing me the anxiety, and only by going to a psychologist can s/he help you to bring those feelings and thoughts out. It was amazing in just an hour what a psychologist could manage to do! Your brother sounds very much like me, looking like he's happy and fine on the outside, but has a lot of untold thoughts and feelings on the inside - But like Steve said, it's all treatable and I'm sure that with the right professional help, he'll be feeling a lot better and learn a lot about himself, which is always a good thing.

All the best.