Panic disorder is considered a psychiatric disorder that creates sudden moments of panic and fear without a reasonable cause, requiring panic disorder treatment. This disorder may affect you throughout daily life, causing a quick onset of overwhelming terror, and is also referred to as panic attack disorder.
Panic disorder can affect your life at any time, whether you are simply grocery shopping, driving your car, or even in your sleep. You may feel afraid to leave your house for fear of being judged, or you may feel nauseous at the thought of trying something new. The onset of a panic attack is likely a constant worry in your life and calls for expert panic disorder treatment.
Symptoms of Panic Disorder
If you’re experiencing chronic panic disorder symptoms including sudden shortness of breath, heart palpitations, dizziness, trembling, losing control of your emotions and thoughts, cold chills, clammy hands, and muscle tenseness that feels paralyzing, we have methods to help.
What is the most effective treatment for panic disorder?
First of all, when you sense a panic attack is about to strike, follow these steps to take back control. Panic disorder treatment starts with managing your panic attacks.
1. Stop and take three slow, deep breaths. Breathing quickly and from your upper chest triggers an adrenaline response when you instead need to breathe diaphragmatically.
2. Do not leave the area unless you are in real danger. To break your panic attack, you should stay and overcome your initial adrenaline reaction, showing yourself there is no reason to “fight or flight.”
3. Break your tunnel vision. When your fear sets in, you will quickly have tunnel vision and this will cause you to feel trapped. By looking slowly from side to side, you become aware of your surroundings and can begin reasoning that there is no danger.
4. Think of warming images and warm your hands. A visual cue can very strongly bring your focus off of any anxious thoughts you may have, so consider looking at pictures on your phone. Running your hands under warm water offers an immediate relaxation response.
5. Speak out loud in complete sentences. This will prevent you from hyperventilating and initially you will speak with short, blunt words, but as you gain control, you will also be able to express your emotions accurately.
How to Cure Panic Disorder
Here at Amen Clinics, we often talk about an acronym called ANTs, which stands for “automatic negative thoughts.” These thoughts may creep into your life at any moment, and strongly influence you when a panic attack strikes.
For each thought that comes to your mind, your body releases chemicals in response. This is true for both positive and negative thoughts. These thoughts are in your control, and you can learn to recognize them so that you define these negative thoughts — such as predicting the worst, reading people’s minds, feeling overly guilty, blaming others and labeling yourself — as untrue. To aid with panic disorder treatment, we highly recommend writing these thoughts down so that you can objectively address them.
If you find ANTs are ruining your life and the panic attacks never seem to go away, Dr. Daniel Amen is considered a maverick in his field by reviewing brain scans to help treat psychological disorders. While most psychiatrists address symptoms, Amen Clinics seeks instead to find the root cause of your panic disorder problem.
Treatment for Panic Attacks
When enrolling with our clinic to treat your anxiety or depression associated with panic disorder, we first assess you by taking the following steps:
● We will begin by taking the time to explore your specific biological, psychological, social and spiritual influences.
● Next, we will perform neuropsychological tests to measure various aspects of your brain function.
● Then, we will perform two brain SPECT scans: one at rest and one during concentration
● Finally, we will order lab tests to rule out nutritional deficiencies, hormone imbalances, toxicity, etc.—if deemed necessary
Can a panic disorder be cured?
At Amen Clinics, we are trained in treating people who suffer from chronic anxiety and depression. If you feel you have nowhere left to turn for panic disorder treatment, we believe there is always hope to relieve your symptoms.
Treatment will vary depending on your assessment. Two treatment methods that might be of interest to you include Hypnotherapy and Music Therapy.
Our staff at Amen Clinics are experienced in these fields to help you reach a state of relaxation without prescription medication. We can help guide you to reaching this state throughout moments of your day.
Find a Clinic to Treat Your Panic Disorder
Make an appointment by calling 888-288-9834 today or scheduling online, and review our locations to find the nearest clinic to your home.
We have eight locations across the country in cities including Atlanta, Chicago, New York, Washington DC, and Los Angeles. We also have locations in Orange County, CA, in Northern California, and in Bellevue, WA.
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Comment by Janet Chambers — July 9, 2018 @ 4:39 AM
I visited your my clinic in2014. I would like to have a review.i have panic attacks.
Comment by Fahdal hydarali — July 17, 2018 @ 6:31 AM
Hello Fahdal, thank you for reaching out. We’d be happy to contact you directly to discuss further. If you’d like to reach us as well, please call 888-288-9834.
Comment by Amen Clinics — July 17, 2018 @ 8:36 AM
Dr.Amen is a very intelligent person, and I really interested in what he is going to say, but his wife didn’t let him! OMG! He is so tolerant! Every time he is going to say something really important, she interrupts with a comment. He is the doctor, she isn’t! He needs to control her ADHD first, and then she can be part of the pod casts. I don’t want to think this is part of her personality because she needs to control herself. I am not the only person who gets mad, and doesn’t finish to listen the pod cast. I know many people who said that. She is smart, beautiful and can participate and give good advice, but please, let Dr. Amen talk!
Thanks!
Comment by Mara Díaz — July 19, 2018 @ 7:19 AM
Has this been diagnosed in ANYONE over the age of 35? My daughter in law has it, and it just always seemed like complete bulls**t?
Comment by Nate — July 23, 2018 @ 7:10 PM
I’ve had panic attacks my whole life, I am 46 years of age.I have taken medications my whole life, from 18 to 44 years of age.Now the Drs. Won’t prescribe the meds, and it has consumed my life.What can I do, to take my life back? Any suggestions or help? Thx…
Comment by David Cribb — February 23, 2019 @ 12:15 PM
You can tell Nate is a bully, who probably has caused anxiety orders in others out there…
Comment by Nate Ashole — February 24, 2019 @ 1:25 AM
Yes, I was diagnosed with panic attacks and an anxiety disorder in my early 40s! I used to think it was completely rediculous. I had heard people loosely throw around the words, “panic attack, anxiety attack”
Comment by Summer — April 29, 2019 @ 7:47 PM
I had panic anxiety for perhaps a good 8 to 10 years! When it first started I was in my first year of law school, waiting for my first class to begin. The Professor walked in and instructed the student sitting in the first seat to the Professor’s left, “to stand and tell the class a little something about themself”. Then in succession the next student would stand and so on until everyone had a turn to participate. I was seated in the middle of the class which afforded me the opportunity to watch how the other students would answer and give me a little time to think about what I would say when it became my turn. However, what I began to notice was a nervousness began to come over me and my body temperature began to rise. And the closer it came to my turn to stand and speak, not only could I not think about what I would say but my whole concern was only on what I was experiencing, My thoughts were racing and I could see my hands shaking! And whatever I said about myself that day I do not know! But I do remember that my sole objective was to try to conceal from the other students that what I just experienced! And this was what I had to learn to deal with for the next ten years.
My events were situational in that my anxiety came while in meetings or at dinner but always in a group. I never had an attack while by myself. I sought medical treatment but that usually meant medication, I became a master of avoidance but that doesn’t solve anything and all I was achieving was exhaustion from my inability to rid myself of this overwhelming affliction.
Then one afternoon I was at a business lunch with many senior level managers and I felt a panic attack coming on, I was beginning to sweat, my hands were shaking such that I would not take a drink, and just when I am about to excuse myself and go to the bathroom, I am asked a business related question by the most senior manager! OH NO! Now what am I to do? I realized that I had no choice, I couldn’t leave yet I was having an attack and I couldn’t talk normally either!
So I did the one thing I have been avoiding all these past years and that was to reveal to the group that I was experiencing a panic attack and that I needed a few minutes to recover! And to my surprise nobody was aware what I was going through when I always thought everyone could see. But the most incredible thing was that once I owned up to what was happening, IT ALL SUDDENLY STOPPED!!! And till this day, some twenty years later, I have never had a panic attack again!
Comment by john sullivan — May 24, 2019 @ 6:39 PM
Are psychological therapies effective in treating depression that did not get better with previous treatment?
Comment by Madetohome — May 4, 2020 @ 7:15 PM
My son is 21 and doesn’t leave the house and is consumed with physical symptoms such as panic attacks, heart racing, cheeks numbs. and is diagnosed with deperalation and disaciation. I have taken your recommendation for myself and now i can sleep and i believe in you and i am hoping you can do the same for my child. I bought your book The end of Mental Illness and just purchased online healing anxiety and depression. Can you please help my son by giving us suggestions of prescriptions for his panic attacks. I am very very grateful to you because you have blessed my life.
Comment by darlena — May 17, 2020 @ 10:58 AM
Hello Darlena, thank you for reaching out. Our Care Coordinators will contact you via email. We look forward to speaking with you.
Comment by Amen Clinics — May 18, 2020 @ 5:54 AM
Hello,
I have been having panic attacks and depression for a few years now, probably 4 or 5.
The last one was yesterday, for my 28th birthday, what a birthday…
Even though I know I'm not going to die, that my strange, weird and uncomfortable sensations come from my psyche and are not signs of impending death, it's still hard to live with it on a daily basis…
I bought "Change your brain, change your life" and there are definitely some parts that I really need to consider, especially the one about food.
I am someone who takes my diet very seriously, unprocessed, organic foods, fresh vegetables and fruits, grass fed meet, etc. But for the past 5 or 6 years, I've been experiencing a lot of episodes (almost weekly) where it's uncontrollable, I need junk food to shut my brain down or cheer me up. After I eat, it makes me really sad and I feel really bad about myself, but I can't control the urge… It's kind of funny actually because I was able to quit smoking cigarettes and weed overnight after years of using, which I think was much harder than eating.
I was diagnosed with ADHD, hyperactivity and high IQ in my early childhood, I tried a few treatments but all of them made me feel extremely nervous, tense and gave me a feeling of excessive anxiety.
Can you help me?
Unfortunately, I live far away from the US, otherwise I would ask you to scan my brain.
Comment by Cyprien — November 11, 2022 @ 3:12 AM