Things You'll Need:
- Journal
- Physician or mental health professional
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Step 1
Be aware of the symptoms of a panic disorder and panic attacks. These include rapid heartbeat, excessive perspiration, dizziness, shaking or trembling, all accompanied by feelings of dread or fear. These symptoms may last just 1 or 2 minutes but can carry on for 10 minutes or more in severe cases.
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Step 2
Keep a journal to note the frequency and intensity of panic attacks, so that your doctor may be able to diagnose whether or not you have a panic disorder. Try to make your documentation as complete as possible, noting the circumstances around the panic attack, such as where it happened, how long the attack lasted, and what feelings or fears triggered the attack.
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Step 3
Determine whether your panic attacks are isolated events, occurring as a specific reaction to a certain event, or tend to occur in a series, with the feelings of fear and anxiety waxing and waning over a longer period of time. The latter pattern is more typical of a panic disorder.
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Step 4
Visit a physician or mental health professional to discuss the possibility of a panic disorder. Show them your journal documenting the frequency and intensity of the panic attacks. Be as honest and forthright as possible in order to receive a more accurate diagnosis of your condition.
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Step 5
Discuss possible treatment plans with your physician or mental health professional if you are diagnosed with a panic disorder. A panic disorder can usually be treated with anti-depressant or anti-anxiety drugs used in combination with behavioral therapy or psychotherapy. The success rate for treatment of panic disorders is very high.
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Step 6
Avoid confusing a panic or anxiety attack with a life-threatening medical condition such as a stroke or a heart attack. Many sufferers of panic disorders feel as though they are dying and immediately head for the emergency room, which only serves to increase the anxiety. On the other hand, don't dismiss alarming symptoms as mere panic attacks if they might, indeed, be life threatening.
