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  • Q&A with Australian Health Practitioners

    How can cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) help someone with panic attacks?

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    Panic Attacks
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    Nick Lim-Howe

    Clinical Psychologist, Psychologist

    Nick is a Clinical and Coaching Psychologist in a private practice loacted in the city. He completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Sydney, … View Profile

    It is first worth noting that anxiety and panic are hardwired natural human experiences and sensations that often serve as protective emotions and behaviours. For example, if you were to have an encounter with a lethal animal you would hope that you were at least somewhat anxious to alert you to the obvious dangers at hand. However it is when anxiety/panic impacts and intrudes our day to day routines and stops us from living our lives the way we want to, that we may need to seek some assistance.
     
    Panic attacks or panic disorder is seen as a part of the anxiety spectrum of disorders with particular focus on the physiological symptoms such as:
     

    • accelerated heart rate;
    • shortness of breath;
    • trembling or shaking;
    • dizziness;
    • nausea;
    • chest pain;
    • muscle tension;
     
    Through my experience of working with clients with panic, I have found that it is often the misinterpretation of the severity of these physiological cues of anxiety that can trigger a full blown panic attack. We may learn experientially that any physiological sign of anxiety may lead to a panic attack and as a result become in tune and sensitive to changes in our body.
     
    Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) provides active strategies for people to manage their panic through understanding the thought processes that drive anxiety and panic, as well as behaviours which may serve to maintain them. The most common behaviour is avoidance, whereby people avoid situations which makes them anxious, or may cue/trigger a panic attack. As a result, we never learn to master our anxiety and thus perpetuate it.  A clinical psychologist can help provide education around anxiety and panic, as well as guide you to facing and conquering their panic through evidence-based treatments.

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  • lethal_animal

    HealthShare Member

    Mmmm, interesting post. Just one question though - what's a lethal animal? My aunty died after she stepped on a cat, slipped, and landed on her head. That cat was pretty deadly. Are cats lethal animals then? 

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