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  • Q&A with Australian Health Practitioners

    What should I do if I'm having a panic attack?

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    Panic Attacks
    I live in fear that I will have a panic attack… I'm not able to control their occurance and feel that it is extremely debilitating. What do I do next time I'm having one? Are there breathing exercises?
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    Anthony Merritt

    Clinical Psychologist, Health Psychologist, Psychologist

    I have been a Clinical Psychologist for ten years. I initially specialised in health psychology with a focus on pain management. More recently my focus … View Profile

    The most widely accepted model of panic is the CBT model. According to that model, panic attacks occur when people respond to everyday events in a catastrophic manner. The idea is that a person may start to experience bodily changes, such as a racing heart, sweating etc. This could be caused by many things, such as tiredness, heat, being stressed, having too much coffee, or even all the things at the same time. The person then starts to worry about the symtpoms, thinking they might have a heart attack, pass out, look stupid, go crazy or even die. It is this interpretation that drives the person into the panic attack. 
    So the best way to respond is to first get checked out medically. This should rule out any medical problems, such as an over-active thyroid. Next learn some relaxation techniques to reduce your symtpoms. Then, when they start, try to ride them out by ‘surfing’ them. Typically the worse part will be over in about ten minutes. Everytime you ride them out you get some mastery over them, and things should then improve. If not you might want to seek out the help of a suitably qualified clinical psychologist to help you in greater depth. 

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