Local panic group has been
helping people since 1994
EAST BRUNSWICK — Leaders of a local support group say that people are finally facing a widespread problem that was often ignored or misunderstood in the past.
Panic attacks, often manifested through a syndrome called panic disorder, are common occurrences that can cause people to think they are having a heart attack or dying, according to Judy Schiffman, director of Panic Relief Inc., a local nonprofit group that offers support to people suffering from the attacks.
Schiffman, who started the group in 1994 — five years after she began having panic attacks — said the group’s purpose is to offer educational and support services to people who have the attacks.
Panic Relief Inc. is based in North Brunswick, but has meetings in several counties. It meets at 8 p.m. on Mondays and 1 p.m. on Thursdays in East Brunswick.
"I had struggled with panic disorder since 1989, and I had already been doing group work with another company I established," she said. "I wanted to help other people who suffered from panic attacks and panic disorder.
"I took my skills of group dynamics and knowledge of panic disorder to start a program to help others," she said.
The group tries to teach members how to manage the attacks by working on their beliefs and personality traits. It also focuses on the role of diet and exercise in stemming the attacks.
"We’re concerned with physical as well as mental well-being," she said.
Aside from her own personal experience, Schiffman got her knowledge of the problem by working with Shirley Swede, a doctor who has written about panic attack recovery.
Schiffman said she also has a certificate in holistic medicine, although she said the group does not preach from a medical point of view.
Nina Cohen, a certified holistic counselor who runs the East Brunswick meetings, said she has seen "excellent results" in participants during the three and a half years she has been involved.
"I have two people who have been with me since inception. They really have been helped so much by this group," she said.
The group, which charges $20 per person for each meeting, is open to people who feel they may have an anxiety problem, she said. It does not give its members referrals to doctors, but does encourage them to get proper medical diagnoses.
Part of the reason for getting a good diagnosis is that panic attacks can be caused by physical conditions such as high blood pressure and hypoglycemia, which would need to be treated by a doctor. Panic attacks can also be symptomatic of a serious underlying mental condition such as depression or bipolar disorder.
She said the group is mainly there for support and education, but does offer some use of therapy.
"(Most of) these people are already working in therapy. We’re teaching them skills and how to apply what they are doing in therapy to make it effective," Schiffman said.
Each meeting is run by a "facilitator," usually a professional social worker, who teaches general coping ideas and moderates discussion between members.
"Each member can discuss their own goals and circumstances," she said. "The facilitator will give that person ideas and other members will give ideas. The facilitator will redirect communication to make it effective."
Schiffman stressed that the group is a professional support group — not a self-help group.
Some doctors have referred patients to the group, but the members usually come on their own, she said. The $20 fee is used to pay the teachers and counselors who work with the group as well as general operational expenses.
Some of the common symptoms of a panic attack are dizziness, chest pain, numbness, intense fear, shaking and a sense of "unreality," she said. The symptoms frighten the person, in turn making them more nervous and thereby intensifying the existing anxiety. For many, it becomes a vicious cycle, as the fear of having another attack actually causes them to do so.
The physical symptoms of a panic attack are caused by trauma, overwhelming stress or loss, she said. Many people have a genetic predisposition to the problem and have the attacks when stress occurs.
Many who think they have a physical problem causing the attacks go to their general practitioner, she said, while others "self-medicate" by using alcohol or other dangerous substances to calm down. Still others try to ignore the attacks because they are embarrassed.
"This is a physical condition and you are as normal as anyone else," she said. "You can master this and go on with your life and feel fine."
For more information, call (877) 363-3327 or (732) 937 4832.