Need help

[Pinkxx88]

I am a mental health caseworker working with an individual that has severe panic/anxiety. Any tips to help her? Thanks

[Hidden]

Welcome to a supportive community! First off, thank you for what you do!

No advice from me; I just wanted to welcome you!

[Pinkxx88 in reply to Hidden]

Thank you very much

[BlueSky125]

.There’s a part of the therapy DBT that’s called distress tolerance that works on developing skills to deal with overwhelming thoughts and emotions in a healthy way. This can a good starting point for more extreme anxiety symptoms.

Here is the book I’ve used on dbt.

The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook (A New Harbinger Self-Help Workbook) Paperback – Illustrated, September 1, 2019

by Matthew McKay (Author)

Also Standard Blood Work including Checking B12 Folate D etc.

[Nothing_but_books in reply to BlueSky125]

Do you have a suggestion for teaching yourself distress tolerance?

[Hidden]

I would think to recommend a psychiatrist that can prescribe medication.

[Jeff1943]

First of all, a small prescription of 5mg diazepam to be used as and when needed during episodes may bring some relief but not recovery.

The best way to recover from high anxiety and panic attacks is not to go round them but to pass through them.

The objective is to lose our fear of such episodes: it is the action of continually subjecting our sensitised nervous system to the fear hormones of fight and flight (cortisol and adrenaline) that puts us into a cycle of fear causing nervous sensitisation causing high anxiety/panic attacks causing more fear causing more nervous sensitisation etc.

Bewilderment - it should be explained what a panic attack is caused by (see previous para). We can end such attacks by accepting them for the time being without adding second fear to the flash of first fear.

Reassurance - panic attacks feel terrible but they cannot kill you, disable you or cause you to 'lose your mind'. They can be overcome simply by losing your fear of them. They are unpleasant but they are toothless paper tigers. We lose our fear of them by accepting them for the moment.

Do not fight them, accept them - fighting them only causes more tension and stress when our nervous systems need less of those things. Frame your mind to co-exist with the unpleasant feelings for the time being.

Do not expect recovery by tea time this afternoon - you spent a lot of time getting into this state so be prepared to 'Let time pass'.

Talk firmly to your anxiety attacks when they come. Say: "I have the measure of you now, I know how to make you disperse, your days are numbered now. You are a paper tiger, all bark and no bite! Begone!"

When a panic attack approaches prepare to engage with it not by flinching and tightening every muscle in your body. Do the opposite. Feel every muscle in your body relaxing, first your body, then your legs, then your arms. Feel your jaw muscle go limp. Imagine there is a muscle where your brain is, feel that relax too. Let your whole body go limp.

You are a rock on the shoreline. A wave sweeps in and crashes over you, runs beyond you and then withdraws. The rock survives!

The Acceptance method for respite and relief of anxiety attack, as devised by Doctor Claire Weekes M.B.E. many years ago was recently claimed to have brought recovery to tens of millions of people by David Barlow, Emeritus Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry at Boston University. He referred to Claire Weekes as "the woman who cracked the anxiety code".

[Catsamaze ADAA Volunteer in reply to Jeff1943]

No point in trying to add anything to what Jeff said. He nailed it per usual....