WHAT IS A PANIC DISORDER? WHAT TREATMENTS ARE AVAILABLE?

In this video, Gauri, a Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying) from Vaughan Counselling and Psychotherapy Inc. gives quick tips on grounding oneself during a panic attack. We will look into panic disorder, a type of anxiety disorder, and how therapy can help long term. Panic disorder is more common in adolescents and adults than children (Landon, & Barlow, 2004) but can last an entire life span (Riddle, n.d.). It is also common that if one has panic disorder, they also experience another mental health disorder, or if a client has a mental health issue, then it is common for panic disorder to follow, in other words, it is comorbid (Landon, & Barlow, 2004). A panic disorder is when one often gets panic attacks but there is no specific trigger for it. Symptoms of a panic attack include heart beating fast, shortness of breath, chest pain (“Agoraphobia, 2017), or an upset stomach (Taylor, 2006) These are intense feelings; people may feel and think that they are dying (Faretta, n.d.). Many people have gone to the emergency for panic attacks. But with the education given by our therapist at Vaughan Counselling and Psychotherapy Inc. about the symptoms will help one not jump to the worst conclusion (Cackovic, & Nazir, 2021). A Panic Attack Disorder is sometimes associated with agoraphobia. Agoraphobia is when people avoid the places, they got a panic attack because they believe that it will trigger another panic attack (“Agoraphobia, 2017). Avoidance causes people to miss out on things they need to do such as going to work and therefore can seriously impact one's quality of life (Landon, & Barlow, 2004). 

The treatments for panic disorders include Gradual Exposure and Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), these two approaches do not have to be taken together.  With gradual exposure and CBT, therapist start with a situation designed to make clients feel panic attack symptoms. Clients are told to do some form of active movement to increase heart rate (Taylor, 2006) and then the therapists at Vaughan Counselling and Psychotherapy Inc will help clients change their initial cognitive thought to this symptom of increased heart rate, and their behaviour such as avoidance (Landon, & Barlow, 2004). All therapists at Vaughan Counselling and Psychotherapy Inc. work with anxiety, and panic attacks and are trained in CBT.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) involves clients being guided by their therapist to move their eyes while thinking about a traumatic memory that creates blocks in memories, the eye movement helps remove blocks around the memory (Riddle, n.d.). EMDR is used for trauma and having a panic attack can feel traumatic. Clients are told to recount first, worst, and most recent panic attacks during eye movement, and then the client and therapist reprocess the thoughts that proceed. Next, they will look into things that trigger a panic attack and imagine that trigger occurring in the future (Faretta, n.d.). (Here is a link for more information on EMDR, https://www.vaughanpsychotherapist.com/blog/emdrtherapy). Helen a Registered Social Worker and Stefan a Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying) are two fantastic therapists at Vaughan Counselling and Psychotherapy Inc who are trained in EMDR.

Both treatments, CBT and EMDR have individually proven to help clients! But relapse can occur in which case clients can always return to Vaughan Counselling and Psychotherapy Inc to receive a session to summarize the coping strategies taught (Taylor, 2006).

References

Faretta, E. (n.d.). EMDR and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in the Treatment of Panic Disorder: A Comparison. Journal of EMDR Practice and Research, 7 (3). DOI: 10.1891/1933-3196.7.3.121

Riddle, J. (n.d.) EMDR Therapy for Anxiety, Panic, PTSD, and Trauma. Psycom. https://www.psycom.net/emdr-therapy-anxiety-panic-ptsd-trauma/

Landon, T. M., & Barlow, D. H. (2004). Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment for Panic Disorder: Current Status, Journal of Psychiatric Practice, 10 (4). p 211-226. https://journals.lww.com/practicalpsychiatry/fulltext/2004/07000/cognitive_behavioral_treatment_for_panic_disorder_.2.aspx

Agoraphobia.(2017, November 18). Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/agoraphobia/symptoms-causes/syc-20355987

Cackovic, C.,& Nazir, S. (2021, July 10).Panic Disorder. Stat Pearls. https://www.statpearls.com/ArticleLibrary/viewarticle/26587

Taylor C. B. (2006). Panic disorder. BMJ (Clinical research ed.), 332(7547), 951–955. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.332.7547.951