Successfully Diagnosing and Overcoming Panic Attacks and Panic Disorder

We all experience some form of anxiety or fear at one time or another. Speaking in public, meeting tight deadlines, and first dates are just a few of the many common occurrences that can lead to some degree of anxiety or fear.

Mild fear or anxiety in situations such as these shouldn’t be seen as being bad. In fact, fear and anxiety are normal survival responses that make us more alert and focused when we’re faced with challenging or threatening situations.

However, unlike the mild anxiety or fear we all experience in these types of situations, panic attacks are sudden episodes of overwhelming fear and anxiety that seem to strike from out of nowhere.

Panic attacks can produce frightening physical symptoms — such as heart palpitations, dizziness, shortness of breath, and nausea — that often leave the individuals suffering them feeling debilitated and fearful of future attacks.

While the majority of people may experience a panic attack at most once or twice during the course of their lives, according to the National Institute of Mental Health a little over 1% of the U.S. population suffers from severe and recurring panic attacks or panic disorder. This may not seem like a significant percentage, but it still represents over three million individuals in the U.S. alone.

Fortunately, panic attacks and panic disorder are treatable conditions. If you’ve only suffered one or two panic attacks, there’s likely little reason to worry. However, if you’ve experienced multiple panic attacks or are concerned you may have panic disorder, the sooner you seek treatment the sooner you’ll be able to take back control of your life and move forward again with confidence and optimism.

Panic Attack Signs and Symptoms

Panic attacks can happen anytime and anywhere, and they usually don’t last much longer than 30 minutes with the most severe symptoms being felt during the first 5-10 minutes of the attack.

Because panic attacks are often accompanied by symptoms that mimic life-threatening conditions or physical illness, many individuals are unaware they’ve suffered a panic attack until after they’ve consulted their physician and ruled out possible physical causes for the symptoms they’ve experienced.

That having been said, there are numerous symptoms commonly experienced by people during a panic attack, including:

Feeling lightheaded, dizzy, or faint

Hyperventilation or shortness of breath

Sweating

Difficulties swallowing or a feeling of choking

Upset stomach or nausea

Chest pains

Increased heart rate or heart palpitations

Fear of losing control, dying, or going crazy

It’s important to note that experiencing one or more of these symptoms doesn’t mean you’ve experienced a panic attack. And, experiencing a panic attack in and of itself shouldn’t necessarily lead to undue concern.

If you’ve experienced some combination of these symptoms, the best thing to do is schedule an appointment with your doctor for a complete physical examination.

On the other hand, if you’ve ruled out any possible physical causes for the symptoms you’ve experienced and have suffered repeated attacks, you may be struggling with panic disorder.

Diagnosing Panic Disorder

If you’ve experienced more than just one or two panic attacks or find you’re constantly worried that you may suffer from another attack, the first step towards getting the help you need is seeking a professional diagnosis from a qualified mental health professional.

Panic disorder is characterized by:

Recurring panic attacks — People suffering with panic disorder face frequent, unexpected panic attacks that aren’t tied to a specific situation, event, or other mental or physical illness.

Anticipatory anxiety — Anticipatory anxiety is persistent anxiety or fear about having another panic attack. This fear of fear tends to grow more ever-present and disabling as time passes.

Phobic avoidance — Men and women struggling with panic disorder typically avoid situations or places in which they’ve experienced previous panic attacks or would have difficulty escaping if they were to suffer another attack. Phobic avoidance adversely affects one’s relationships and ability to fulfill day-to-day responsibilities and can result in agoraphobia in extreme cases.

Fortunately for those suffering from panic attacks or panic disorder, these conditions can often be treated successfully with self-help strategies, medication, or through some form of counseling or psychotherapy.

Effectively Treating Panic Attacks and Panic Disorder

While we are all unique individuals and no one form of treatment is equally effective for everyone, several types of counseling and therapy have been shown to be particularly effective in the treatment of panic attacks and panic disorder:

CognitiveBehavioral Therapy — Cognitivebehavioral therapy (CBT) is one of the most common forms of psychotherapy used in the treatment of panic attacks and panic disorder. CBT is a brief treatment method that helps individuals change the thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors that trigger or sustain panic attacks.

Exposure Therapy — As the name implies, exposure therapy gradually introduces an individual to a panic attacks physical symptoms and the situations that have lead to previous panic attacks in order for the individual to gain an increasing sense of control over their anxieties through repeated encounters.

Psychodynamic Therapy — Psychodynamic techniques focus on helping individuals with panic attacks and panic disorder work through the unconscious forces that lead to feelings of anxiety and fear. Psychodynamic psychotherapy is similar to other types of therapy in that it involves talking through feelings and searching for answers.

Humanistic/Existential Therapy — Humanistic/existential therapy describes a variety of treatment techniques that focus on the healing power of the therapeutic relationship that is created between a client and psychotherapist. Most therapists working from humanistic/existential perspectives have unique ways of working with clients’ strengths to help clients reduce and overcome panic attacks and create meaningful change in their lives.

It should be noted that these are just some of the more common approaches to anxiety counseling and psychotherapy. Additionally, while these therapy techniques may be implemented by themselves, they are not mutually exclusive and are often used in conjunction with one another in order to produce the greatest results.

Creating positive, lasting change is rarely easy, and overcoming panic attacks and panic disorder will require your time, energy, and commitment.

However, if you’re ready to invest the time and energy required to learn as much about your panic attacks as you can, to choose a counselor or therapist who’s right for you, and to do the work necessary for therapy to be effective, you’ll likely be amazed at the results.

While prescription medications and self-help techniques differently have their benefits, anxiety counseling and therapy can help you learn the skills and tools you need to cope with the symptoms of panic attacks and keep them from recurring so you can move forward in life with confidence and optimism!

Gina Troisi is a professional counselor in Norwalk, where she specializes in providing counseling.