Now, interesting enough, and extremely important for afflicted families to understand, in the occurrence of an anxiety or panic attack, this rush of adrenaline is triggered, not by any actual danger, but by the fearful anticipation of the impending danger.  While this does not result in any harm to the physical body, it should be understood that the fear, the anxiety, the feeling of panic is very real to the individual and definitely needs to be dealt with.  Hopefully family members of those afflicted with this panic attack disorder can begin to understand that when their loved one withdraws, refuses to participate in family functions, or displays unexplainable social behavior, he is not rejecting the family, but is reacting to his fear of actually reliving a previous frightening occurrence. 
 
Because of this fear that triggers the actual panic attack, the 20 million or so individuals plagued with this anxiety disorder are missing out on the pleasures of their lives, denying themselves the experiences that brought them pleasure, such as refusing to go outside, drive or ride in a car or any vehicle, to attend parties or family gatherings, or to attend church or other common activities, just to name a few.  It’s certainly understandable how friends and families can be alienated, not understanding the reason behind the seemingly aloof or antisocial behavior of the panic attack victim.  
 
The tragedy of the situation is that it doesn’t have to be this way.  By this way, I mean that from all the studies and research available, some individuals have been contending with panic/anxiety disorders for over thirty years!  It needn’t be too confusing in deciding which treatments would be preferable for your particular situation.  Hopefully you have been seeing a physician who could recommend an anxiety disorder treatment center.  Some avenues to pursue are self-help programs that teach skills for dealing with panic attacks; and treatments advocating various medications, however, critics will caution that medications can cover up the anxiety rather than cure it, and can be addictive
 
An acclaimed practice is the cognitive behavior treatment focusing on positive affirmation, relaxation and breathing exercises which deals with the symptoms and brings relief.  The founder of an alternative program called PanicAway, alleges that their approach actually eliminates the attacks because they have found the key to the problem of anxiety, panic and phobic disorders and stress. They found, after much experience and research, that it was the fear of an attack that was key to finding the cure.  So by eliminating the fear of going into a panic attack, that cycle of  fear continuing to recharge itself would be interrupted, thereby stopping the panic attack.            
 
. One of the main obstacles in getting treatment for anxiety panic attack disorder is the deplorable degree of misdiagnosis that exists, which results in the wrong treatment being prescribed.  To be effective, the prescribed treatment must be specific to the right diagnosis.  We urge you to carefully research the programs offered and our hope is that you have been enlightened and encouraged and will soon be enjoying a lifestyle of freedom and productivity.