Panic attacks

Citation

Eachus, P. (2014), "Panic attacks", Health Education, Vol. 114 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/HE-11-2013-0061

Panic attacks

Article Type: Internet review From: Health Education, Volume 114, Issue 2.

November 2013

We all feel anxious from time to time and this is a completely natural response to a real or perceived threat. Threats can take many forms, for example having to make a presentation to a large audience, worrying about financial matters and even pleasant things like flying to a holiday destination, can all cause anxiety to different degrees. Panic attacks, however, are different in that they may occur at any time, without warning and without any obvious threat or stressor. Something like one in eight people in the UK will suffer from panic attacks at some time in their life. Panic attacks are not a minor inconvenience, they can be completely debilitating and interfere with all aspect of our lives. It is not enough to tell sufferers not to panic, this might actually make things worse. Rather, a structured approach to dealing with the symptoms of panic attacks is likely to be more effective and these are the sort of techniques that can be taught online, therefore the internet can have great potential in this respect. In this review we will consider some of the systems that are on offer.

Uncommon Knowledge

www.panic-attacks.co.uk/

This web site is hosted by a company called Uncommon Knowledge who provide online self-help programmes for a variety of problems. The link above is to a course that can be completed online or via e-mail if preferred. The course is divided into seven modules starting with “What is a panic attack” and other modules deal with why we get panic attacks, and what are the core beliefs that maintain the condition. Symptoms and ways of dealing with panic attacks are also covered in the programme. The seven modules are presented wholly in text format but they are well written, avoiding too much jargon and medical terminology. Working through the course will certainly improve a person's knowledge about the condition but whether this would be sufficient therapy is debatable. However, in addition to this free self-help course Uncommon Knowledge also provide an audio course that focuses on using relaxation as a means of dealing with panic attacks and is designed to be more therapeutic. This audio course is sold ($35) as a Panic Prevention Programme and consists of a 70-minute audio that is available on CD and is meant to be used in conjunction with the free course. Not having access to this audio course it is not possible to comment on how useful this might be but the providers do give a money back guarantee which is reassuring.

As well as the basic free Panic Attack course the web site also has a section dealing with other types of anxiety-related problems. These include social anxiety, test and examination anxiety and separation anxiety in young children. These articles provided are in a similar format to the course and give guidance in a way that lay readers will find informative and helpful.

This is a relatively simple web site but it provides quality information that could be of real benefit to people who have to deal with panic attacks.

The Site

www.thesite.org/healthandwellbeing/mentalhealth/anxietyandstress/panicattacks

This web site, The Site.org, is owned by YouthNet, a London-based charity whose aim is to provide young people with “non-judgmental support and information on everything from sex and exam stress to debt and drugs”. In this review we are focusing on the “Health and Wellbeing” section of the web site that deals with issues such as panic attacks. Being aimed at young people the advice comes in easily digestible portions and indeed all the content is conveyed in a single page. Very briefly panic attacks are explained in terms of the symptoms experienced and this is followed by four sentences that explain how to “regain control”. This boils down to taking long deep breaths until the feelings of panic subside. This content is very much symptom driven and there is no attempt made to explain the condition in any sort of detail. I suspect many young people will welcome this approach but for those who do want more detail, links are provided to topics dealing with eating, sleeping and exercise as well as medications and therapy.

This is something of a minimalist web site and it really does only provide the bare essentials in terms of information and advice on panic attacks. But given that the intended audience is 16-25 year olds the level of information is probably just about right.

Psych Central

http://psychcentral.com/lib/tips-to-cope-with-a-panic-attack/000971

Psych Central is based in North America and describes itself as the internet's oldest independent mental health network and given that it was founded in 1995 this is probably correct. Although the web site does have a great deal of information on anxiety and related disorders for the purposes of this review we are only focusing on “Tips to cope with a panic attack”.

Starting with an overview of how panic attacks can impede everyday living the information provided moves on to look at symptoms in detail. The web site argues that by familiarising yourself with the symptoms they will become less frightening and you will feel more in control. The main tips offered are aimed at relaxation and control of breathing but in this web site the level of detail is impressive.

An interesting feature of this web site is the notion of “paradoxical intention”. Having been taught how to control the feelings of panic it is now suggested that users of the web site might want to trigger a panic attack in order to stand up to it! It suggests that if a particular place or situation usually triggers the attack then the user should, with the help of a friend for support, place themselves in this situation in order to trigger the attack deliberately and then of course with their newly acquired “tools” they will be able to control the attack. Well it sounds good in theory but how many people would take this risk is difficult to say.

This site is sponsored by advertisements but at least in the main they are relevant to the topic being viewed. The level of information and advice is good and the presentation, although not particularly dynamic, is adequate. One problem that is quite common to many web sites of this type is that there is an abundance of distracting material as well as the main information. Although sometimes this can be quite useful, in this web site it would be better if these distractions were toned down a little. This would make for a much better user experience.

No More Panic

www.nomorepanic.co.uk/articles/panicattack/

No More Panic is a web site designed to help people with a variety of anxiety disorders. At the outset it should be noted that there is a great deal of information, guidance and advice available for users of this web site. Unfortunately the organisation and presentation of this information leaves a lot to be desired and only the most dedicated or desperate of users is likely to make full use of the content presented here.

The content is text based, in a font that is too small to be read easily and given the citations provided I suspect that much of the content is simply cut and pasted from the books cited. It certainly reads more like a book than a web site. The section dealing with panic attacks begins by asking “If you are having a panic attack NOW?” … If that was the case I doubt if the person concerned would be looking at this web site!

If users can get beyond the design flaws then the actual content is quite good. The Panic Break section is good fun containing jokes, cartoons and pictures not necessarily about panic attacks but about the internet more generally. Unfortunately this section also has its problems and many of the resources that should have been available could not be accessed, but given that the web site was last modified more than four years ago this is perhaps not too surprising. This site is worth a quick look if only to learn how not to use the internet, but do not spend too long struggling to read the content.

NHS Choices

www.nhs.uk/conditions/Panic-disorder/Pages/Introduction.aspx

NHS Choices now sets the standard that other health-related web sites strive to meet and this is no exception. This web site dealing with panic disorders is well designed and provides information to suite a variety of audiences. For lay people or casual users the “Overview” section will be quite adequate. Here users will find descriptions of the condition, symptoms, possible causes and different forms of treatment including self-help. Although mainly text based there are a number of video clips from health professionals as well as people who have suffered panic attacks. These video clips are excellent at conveying the massive impact that a panic attack can have on the whole of a person's life. The clips involving health professionals are good at explaining the nature of the condition and the range of treatments available.

For users of this web site who require more in depth information there is a section on clinical trials and medicines information. There are many links provided to both internal resources of NHS Choices as well as external organisations that are relevant to the condition.

This web site is well designed, the content is excellent so for both health professionals and lay users, with an interest in panic attacks, it is highly recommended.

Peter Eachus