Panic disorder is an anxiety disorder where you have regular, recurring attacks of panic or fear. Although all of us experience anxiety and even feelings of panic on occasion, people with panic disorder will experience this very regularly. At times, this can happen when there isn’t any apparent reason for it.
Panic disorder is often diagnosed when people have frequent sudden waves of panic or fear, often referred to as a panic attack. During a panic attack, people can report feeling completely overwhelmed and have a sense of being out of control. Sometimes there is a clear trigger, but at other times it can feel completely out of the blue.
Panic disorder can have a significant impact on an individual’s quality of life. For some people, having a panic attack is a very scary experience and they can occur multiple times per day. Sometimes people will try to avoid the situations that could trigger a panic attack in an attempt to reduce the frequency of them. Unfortunately, this avoidance can mean that people stop doing things they enjoy or stop going out as much.
A panic attack is essentially a very extreme, acute feeling of anxiety that usually lasts between 5 and 30 minutes.
Many of us will have experienced a panic attack at some point in our lives or will know somebody who has experienced them. People may experience them frequently, in which case they may be diagnosed with ‘panic disorder’ but people can also experience them just once or twice in their lifetimes.
Panic attacks are accompanied by a number of physical symptoms which can in themselves be very distressing, and lead to further anxiety and panic, creating a vicious cycle.
For example, somebody having a panic attack might notice that their heart feels as though it is racing. This can then lead them to worry that they are having a heart attack, creating more anxiety about their health and catastrophic thoughts about what is happening to them. This essentially maintains those feelings of panic and fear.
Another phrase you may have come across is ‘anxiety attacks’. Let’s compare the two:
The symptoms are very severe and impossible to hide. As well as intense feelings of anxiety, there are physical symptoms that cause further worry and fear. People may believe they are dying.
Panic Attacks -Symptoms usually come and go very quickly – a panic attack may be over within a few minutes.
Panic Attacks -There is often no obvious trigger for the onset of a panic attack. It can feel like it came on completely ‘out of the blue’.
Panic Attacks -Symptoms can vary from mild to severe. If it is a mild anxiety attack, people can often continue with their activities as normal.
Anxiety Attacks -Symptoms of an anxiety attack can remain for a long period of time.
Anxiety Attacks -Anxiety attacks generally occur as a response to stressful events or situations – there is often a known trigger. They can also build up in intensity over a long period of time (days, weeks or months).
Anxiety Attacks -It is not fully known why some people have panic attacks and others don’t. There are a number of different factors that might make somebody more vulnerable to experiencing them, including:
There are treatments available to help manage the symptoms of panic attacks and panic disorder. This includes:
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) can help people identify what triggers their panic attacks and whether the trigger is something external, or internal (for example a thought or worry that they have).
CBT can help an individual notice how they react to a panic attack.
Mindfulness can be used to help treat panic attacks, either alongside a different type of therapy or on its own. It can help people to feel a sense of calm, maintaining their focus on the here and now.
It is also a good way of learning to observe your thoughts rather than getting caught up in them.
If you experience a panic attack, you might find the following tips helpful:
If you experience regular panic attacks, you may find that they are starting to have a significant impact on your quality of life, and your enjoyment of activities or events.
There are some simple techniques you can try that might help you prevent a panic attack from happening, such as:
If panic is having a significant impact on your life, you may want to seek professional help from a psychologist who can help you manage your panic and work with you to gain back some control of your life.
At Turning Tides, our team of psychologists are highly trained and have many years of experience working with common mental health conditions such as panic attacks and panic disorder.
Our therapists are all fully qualified in using a range of different approaches that can be helpful in managing panic and they are able to integrate aspects of different approaches to ensure your sessions meet your individual needs.
We offer regular face to face appointments at our modern and comfortable clinic in Hoult’s Yard, Newcastle or we can offer online therapy via Zoom if you live further afield or have a preference for online sessions.
We have tried to keep our pricing as simple as possible. We charge £120 for a 60-minute appointment, regardless of whether this is an assessment or therapy session. Our fees are the same for face-to-face appointments and online appointments as you will receive the same high standard of care from our psychologists, regardless of how it is delivered.
A psychologist will then be in touch to arrange a free 15-minute no-obligation call, where we can discuss your requirements in more detail and you can get a feel for whether Turning Tides is the right psychology practice for you.
If we’re not right for you, we’ll try and signpost you to somewhere that is.
Please note – Turning Tides is not a crisis service, and if you feel you need urgent support or are experiencing a mental health crisis then it is important that you contact your GP if they are available, or attend A&E.