Panic Attack Treatment in Melbourne

Panic attack symptoms can be experienced when we feel anxious about a particular situation or as a part of particular types of anxiety, such as generalised anxiety or social anxiety. The difference between generalised anxiety or social anxiety and panic attacks is that when someone is experiencing a panic attack the symptoms are sudden, intense and overwhelming.

Panic attacks can be triggered by particular situations or they can happen out of the blue. Panic attacks can feel like a “surge” or “wave” of terror suddenly washing over you. The symptoms of panic usually peak at around ten minutes and subside within about 30 minutes. As you can probably imagine panic attacks use up a huge amount of physical and mental energy. Afterwards you might find yourself feeling exhausted and shocked.

Sometimes after experiencing a panic attack people can develop Panic Disorder. Panic Disorder involves reoccurring and unexpected panic attacks, ongoing worry about having another panic attack and concerns about what might happen during the panic attack. For example, people can develop fears about fainting, dying, “going crazy” or losing control. This can sometimes lead to avoidance of situations that might trigger anxiety or panic symptoms. Sometimes the fear of a panic attack becomes so strong that it becomes difficult or impossible to leave the house at all.

If you feel like you might be experiencing panic attacks or Panic Disorder the first step is to speak to your general practitioner (GP). It’s important that you have a thorough physical health assessment to ensure that your symptoms are a consequence of anxiety and not related to a medical condition. If your GP thinks that you may be experiencing panic attacks or Panic Disorder you may be eligible to get a referral for panic attack treatment with a clinical psychologist under the Medicare Mental Health Treatment Plan.