TVScope: Health Squad, RTÉ 1, 8.30pm, October 20th
Having a panic attack is a terrifying experience, with about 10 per cent of the population suffering at least one attack in their lifetime. They can occur at any time but are particularly likely to strike during a period of stress or after a traumatic or unpleasant experience.
In Thursday's edition of Health Squad, Debbie Fleming, a 25-year-old mother of two, shares her experiences of the disorder which she has had since moving to Kerry 10 years ago. Now having up to three attacks a week she decides to tackle her problem with the help of the Health Squad.
Sheana Keane, who has a background in social psychology, kicked off this episode by asking Debbie to describe her symptoms which include difficulty breathing, feelings of panic, increased heart rate and shaking. Her problem prevents her from getting more than a couple of hours sleep a night, while during her waking hours she struggles to control her life to ensure nothing goes wrong.
A very short explanatory piece followed from a psychologist on why panic attacks happen. Afterwards, a number of therapists sought to help Debbie overcome her problem.
Karen Ward, a holistic therapist, recommended Debbie should use three methods to calm herself when she felt a panic attack coming on. First she was to use Bach Flower Remedy - a herbal tincture recently in the news over concerns over its alcohol content if taken in high doses and the possibility of addiction. This was to be followed by a breathing exercise and the rubbing of thumb and forefingers together to induce relaxation. A quick session of "trance dance" to encourage Debbie to let go of her inhibitions saw her jumping and dancing about with a group of strangers in leotards, to the soundtrack of tribal beat music.
Next it was off for a session with a reiki practitioner, a discipline that believes it can detect fields of bioenergy surrounding the body by moving their hands over the client. By doing so, they claim to be able to rebalance the energy, thereby helping a range of disorders.
A life coach advised Debbie, who also suffers from asthma, to discard her inhaler. The diagnosis of asthma can only be made by a medically qualified doctor with the use of pulmonary function tests. We were not told how the diagnosis of Debbie's asthma was disproven, and the safety implications of asthmatics being advised to throw away inhalers was, in my view, questionable.
On a more positive note, Debbie was introduced to the therapeutic benefits of creative writing as a means of expressing her fears and putting them into context. This exercise, followed by an article by Debbie on panic attacks being published in the Kerryman newspaper, gave her considerable confidence to face her problems.
Three months later, Debbie reported that she had not had a panic attack for three weeks and she felt more in control of her life.
However, as the credits rolled I couldn't help but feel that the issue of panic attacks had been oversimplified for the purposes of this 24-minute programme. In addition to producing alarming physical sensations, panic attacks can also trigger distorted thoughts. The use of cognitive behavioural therapy, which is extremely successful in the treatment of the disorder, was not mentioned. Nor was the fact that panic attack is often seen in depression or anxiety states explained.
Relaxation techniques and creative writing have been proven as useful tools in the treatment of panic disorder. But the programme did not show us any scientific evidence to back the therapeutic claims of other approaches. Although it may well be my personal sceptical view of some alternative treatments, I am willing to concede that the placebo affects of such therapies may indeed help some individuals.
Marion Kerr is a freelance writer and practising occupational therapist.