Learning library · Understanding your diagnosis
Panic disorderUnderstanding panic attacks
What a panic attack is, why it's frightening but not dangerous, and the skills and treatments that break the cycle.
What a panic attack is
A panic attack is a sudden rush of intense fear or discomfort. It can come out of nowhere, even when you feel calm, and it usually peaks within minutes.
It's felt in the body: a pounding or racing heart, sweating, trembling, shortness of breath, chest pain, dizziness, or tingling, often with a sense of doom or of losing control.
When it becomes panic disorder
Many people have a panic attack at some point in their lives. Panic disorder is when attacks keep happening, and you spend a lot of time worrying about the next one, or avoiding places where one happened before.
Over time, that avoidance can slowly shrink your world. The good news is that panic disorder is very treatable.
Frightening, and it passes
A panic attack can feel like a heart attack. That's why a first step is a check with a doctor, to make sure something else isn't causing your symptoms. If you ever have chest pain and aren't sure what it is, get emergency care.
Once other causes are ruled out, it can help to remember that a panic attack, however frightening, peaks within minutes and then begins to ease.
Why it happens
There's no single cause. Panic disorder sometimes runs in families, and researchers are learning how the brain's fear systems play a part. It often begins in the late teens or early adulthood.
A clinician will ask about your attacks, how often they happen, and how they affect your life. Questionnaires like the PDSS, which you may see under Assessments in your portal, help track how you're doing over time.
Treatments that help
Cognitive behavioral therapy is especially helpful for panic disorder. It teaches new ways of thinking about and reacting to the feelings of an attack, and can include gently and gradually facing the places and sensations you've been avoiding.
Medicine can help too. Antidepressants such as SSRIs and SNRIs are commonly used. Benzodiazepines may be used for short periods, but they carry a risk of dependence. Many people do best with therapy and medicine together.
Skills that help
In the moment, slow breathing, with the breath out a little longer than the breath in, and grounding yourself in what's around you can help. Our videos on paced breathing and five, four, three, two, one grounding walk you through both.
Day to day, regular exercise, enough sleep, and cutting back on caffeine and alcohol can help, along with practicing the skills you learn in therapy.
When to reach out
If panic attacks keep happening, or you find yourself avoiding more and more, talk with your care team. You can start with a message in your portal.
If panic ever comes with thoughts of harming yourself, call or text 988, any time, day or night. This video is general education, not medical advice. Your provider can help you find the right plan for you.
3 min · captions with the CC button · 7 chapters · animated diagrams