What treatments are helpful for Panic Disorder?
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) has been shown to be beneficial in the treatment of Panic Disorder. 6 It includes multiple components: • Education about the nature of anxiety and panic • Cognitive strategies focused on changing unhelpful beliefs and shifting anxious thoughts that trigger panic and maintain anxiety (e.g., “I’m going to die if I have a panic attack” vs. “This is a feeling that will pass and will not kill me.”) • Identifying triggers for panic • Developing skills to cope with Panic Attacks (e.g., relaxation techniques) • Reducing avoidance behaviors by exposure to feared, but not dangerous, bodily sensations (e.g., anxiety feelings) and stimuli (e.g., being in public or driving). Through exposure the person comes to see that the situation or feeling will not cause harm, and these experiences lose their ability to cause the individual to feel afraid. 2 • Weekly homework assignments to practice strategies learned in treatment. CBT can be applied in individual or group fo
