Panic Disorder: When the Body's Alarm Keeps Ringing

A panic attack is a sudden, intense surge of fear lasting minutes, accompanied by physical symptoms — chest tightness, racing heart, sweating, trembling, derealisation. Many patients first visit an emergency room or a cardiologist before learning that the problem lies in the brain's threat-detection system, not the heart. Panic disorder is diagnosed when these attacks recur and lead to persistent worry or avoidance. Untreated, it can shrink a person's life — they stop driving, travelling, attending family functions or leaving home. The good news: panic disorder is one of the most responsive psychiatric conditions to treatment. A combination of SSRIs, short-term anti-anxiety medication if needed, and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy with interoceptive exposure reliably restores normal function. Most patients are significantly better within 8–12 weeks. If the alarm in your body has been ringing for too long, please come in. We can help you turn it off.