At the first sign of one, employ an ANTI PANIC ATTACK breathing technique. Advice from a published psychiatrist on controlled breathing: (1.) Get a clock, or watch with a second timer. (2.) Practise for 5 minutes, 4 times daily, until proficient. (3.) Take a small breath in, and hold it, for 6 seconds. (4.) Think to yourself: "RELAX", just before breathing out. (5.) Try to feel a sense of releasing tension, as you breathe out. (6.) Breathe in for 3 seconds, then out, for 3 seconds. Try to make your breathing very smooth, and light, as you breathe in through your nose, and out through your mouth, or nose. (7.) For the next minute, continue to breathe in, and out, every 3 seconds. (8.) Go back to step 3, at the end of the minute, and proceed through to step 7, doing this for 5 minutes. Use this at the very first sign of a panic attack starting, or any time you feel anxious, or tense. Similar, but simpler advice, from a clinical psychologist is to breathe in to the count of 3: (one thousand one; one thousand two; one thousand three) each takes around a second to say to yourself, in your mind, and out to the count of 3. Also see http://deeplyrelax.com & www.deepsloweasy.com/html/intro.htm
Note: the controlled breathing only helps with the symptoms (as do medications/herbal remedies): you need to address the underlying cause, which requires some form of therapy, and Cognitive Behavio(u)ral Therapy has been shown to be effective. Imagine that the cause of your panic; your anxieties, fears, your self doubts, self recriminations, all the agonizing "I'm-so-Stupids"; every painful "I-can't-do-it" are huge raging, hurtful bulls snorting and charging at you. You see them coming at you and you hold out your red matador's cape at arms length and simply let them charge right by. Every time they come at you, hold out your arm with the red cape and let them rage and snort and go right on past. Some people recommend nettle tea, with a little honey. Others use Lavender tea, Lemon Balm, Chamomile, but use no milk or cream with herbal teas, or Valerian (caution: its use may become habitual). Know how these affect you before driving, or doing anything dangerous, and it is far better to use the treatments, rather than relying on herbal remedies. There is a free online PANIC COURSE at www.panic-attacks.co.uk and it is also available by email. Well worth a look, too, is the section on panic attacks at www.mind.org.uk which they also have in booklet form.
Unlike some other websites, they also recommend letting a panic attack run its course, without doing anything to treat it, so you KNOW you will survive it. The usual maximum is 30 minutes, until symptoms begin to subside. Also see www.anxietypanic.com/signs.html and http://www.onestepatatime.com (chatroom, and one free email is allowed to their resident expert on joining [free] - more if a paid up member) and www.medicinenet.com/panic_disorder/artic... and www.squidoo.com/controlpanicattack/modul... and www.nimh.nih.gov/healthinformation/index... and www.healthyplace.com/communities and http://panic-attack-over.com and http://www.anxietynetwork.com Most people are suggestible, to some degree, so you could either seek professional hypnotherapy, or, quicker, cheaper, and more conveniently: http://www.hypnosisdownloads.com Perfect Partners: Stop Panic Attacks + Breathing Exercise, or http://www.instant-hypnosis.com Stop Panic Attacks, & http://www.asktheinternettherapist.com/shop3/scripts/prodList.asp?idCategory=31 ADD products, and take 4 Omega 3 fish oil supplements, daily. Use a relaxation method daily, like http://www.drcoxconsulting.com/managing-stress.html or http://altmedicine.about.com/cs/mindbody/a/Meditation.htm or http://www.wikihow.com/Meditate Tai Chi, Qi Gong, or yoga.
OCD is an anxiety spectrum disorder, and the obsessions and compulsions are a way of avoiding, or coping with it, so; treat the underlying anxiety effectively, replacing your habit with the EFT, below, or (hopefully only temporarily) something more socially acceptable, like using worry beads, stress ball, electronic palm held game, or stringing beads, etc. It's important to regularly monitor, and deal with a negative internal monologue (self talk), or mental process, such as disturbing thoughts, images, impulses, or emotions, by the process of (a): recognising it, and (b): challenging it immediately. Technique For Re-Programming Negative Thoughts: When you notice something negative, such as: "I can't do this/ am never going to get over this!" or: "Why am I always so pathetic/useless/such a loser?" or even an image, emotion, or a memory; recognise that it is being generated from the negative part of your mind. Having identified and labelled it, visualise a large, red, flashing, "STOP!" sign, and/or possibly a stern faced person wagging an index finger at you in a negative manner, then say to yourself as forcefully as you can, even aloud in a big voice, if alone: "I know this tactic: GO AWAY FOR A WHILE !!!" You may want to use either: "ruse", "ploy", "game", or "trick". In the case of an image, visualise a large "STOP" sign, or your preferred version. Some people go so far as to keep a wide rubber band in their pocket, then put it around their wrist, when they catch themselves backsliding, stretch and release it, as a method of reprogramming their mind sooner, but I don't regard it as being strictly necessary.
Remember to remove it, afterwards, if you use this method. Practice a relaxation method, daily, and when needed, such as: (free) http://www.drcoxconsulting.com/managing-stress.html or http://altmedicine.about.com/cs/mindbody/a/Meditation.htm or http://www.wikihow.com/Meditate Tai Chi, or yoga suits others better. Give the EFT a good tryout, to see if it helps you. It is free via the searchbar at http://www.mercola.com "EFT" & "EFT therapists" Professional is best. - There is a version for use in public places, (if anyone asks, you can claim to have a headache, as you massage/lightly tap your temples, but you would then be restricted to subvocalising: saying it to yourself in your mind: "Even though I sometimes suffer from obsessions/compulsions, I deeply and completely accept myself." Herbal remedies, such as St. John's wort, are often effective, but the idea is (as with anxiolytic medication) to use them like water wings, or training wheels on a bicycle, providing initial support, and giving time for other treatments, such as therapy, and relaxation techniques, to take effect. Imagine, as vividly as you possibly can, that your concerns, anxieties, worries, fears, your self-recriminations, all the agonizing "I'm-so-Stupids"; every painful "I-can't-do-it", etc., are huge raging, hurtful bulls snorting and charging at you. You see them coming at you and you hold out your red matador's cape at arms length and simply let them charge right by. Every time they come at you, hold out your arm with the red cape and let them rage and snort and go right on past. A free E course in CBT for anxiety is at: http://ecouch.anu.edu.au/welcome
Most people are suggestible, to some extent, so consider professional hypnotherapy, or: http://www.asktheinternettherapist.com Conquer Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (ocd) Hypnosis CD or MP3, or: http://www.instant-hypnosis.com
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), & Quiet the Voices Within, or: http://www.hypnosisdownloads.com Improve Impulse Control, & Overcome Fear and Anxiety, or: (free) at: http://www.freehypnosistreatment.com - anxiety. Books: Coping With OCD: Practical Strategies for Living Well With Obsessive-compulsive Disorder by Bruce M., Ph.D. Hyman and Troy Dufrene, and/or: Overcoming Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Client Manual: A Behavioral and Cognitive Protocol for the Treatment of OCD (Best Practices Series) by Gail Steketee Try your bookstore, or Amazon.com searchbar for them. I suggest that you wean off the adderall first (check out www.drugs.com & www.rxlist.com) in accordance with http://theroadback.org/workbook.htm