Treatment for Panic Attacks

Treatment for panic attacks is usually short-term. Your psychologist will work with you to identify triggers to your panic attacks (even when there is no obvious cause). You will then learn strategies to manage your thinking to reduce anxiety before things escalate to panic. You will also work with your psychologist to identify the underlying causes of anxiety and panic so that you can reduce their frequency and/or prevent them happening again. As always at Vivamus you can rest assured that your psychologist or counsellor will be using an approach recommended by international guidelines for good practice.

Panic attacks often occur in the context of anxiety disorders or depression, but can sometimes exist alone in response to specific events. When someone has a panic attack, especially when it happens for the first time, they often think they are having a heart attack or believe they are going to die. This is because they mistakenly attribute anxiety symptoms of the heart beating rapidly and shortness of breath to a physical cause.

Panic attacks are uncomfortable and distressing and cause people to avoid situations where they occurred or where the person fears they might occur. They can therefore quickly become quite debilitating.

Understanding how anxiety causes physical changes in the body is a big part of treatment. So too is identifying thinking patterns that cause the anxiety to increase. Your psychologist will work with you to identify your specific triggers, give you tools to prevent and manage panic attacks, and help you understand and resolve the underlying cause.