See a Psychiatrist for Panic Attacks and Anxiety in Dallas and Fort Worth at Aware Behavioral Health
We can experience anxiety in many ways. Anxiety can a generalized nervousness, where a person feels worried about different issues all day. Anxiety can be subject-based – for example, a person can fear public speaking or social situations. But there is one form of anxiety that stands out as intensely physical, comes in waves, and leads to profound distress: panic disorder.
Panic attacks and panic disorder are intense, almost entirely physical events that can feel like a person is experiencing a heart attack or health crisis. It involves feeling that doom and danger is right around the corner. If you feel like you may be struggling with panic disorder in Dallas, Bedford, or Fort Worth, contact Aware Behavioral Health, today.
Why Choose Aware Behavioral Health?
Led by Dr. Surin Sehdev, Aware Behavioral Health provides a kind, careful, personalized approach to your care designed to help you overcome any mental health related issues. As a psychiatrist, Dr. Sehdev can evaluate your panic attack symptoms and determine if you need medication, therapy, behavioral modification, or something else – and provide a holistic treatment that addresses panic disorder both now and in the future.
Operating in person in Dallas and through telepsychiatry in the DFW area, Aware Behavioral Health is the right choice for addressing your psychiatric care.
What Are Panic Attacks?
Panic attacks are sudden feelings of intense fear, combined with a range of physical symptoms such as rapid heartbeat, trouble breathing, chest pain, dizziness/lightheadedness, feelings of feint, and more, along with a feeling like you are about to die. Some people feel like they are floating outside of their body, and others feel like they are losing control of themselves physically or mentally.
Panic attacks can be triggered by periods of stress, but in many cases, they appear to be triggered by nothing at all. Panic attacks get progressively worse for about 5 to 10 minutes, and then they peak and start a slow decline. After a panic attack, a person often feels tired, emotionally drained, and may start to develop what’s known as “self-monitoring” for another panic attack that, ironically, runs the risk of triggering future attacks.
Those that experience more than one panic attack are typically said to have “panic disorder.” Chronic panic disorder can begin to lead to strange, unexpected symptoms like blurry vision and difficulty walking. Panic attacks can feel like health events (like heart attacks) causing some people to see the doctor to rule out more serious conditions, yet all the symptoms are caused by anxiety.
Why Get Treatment for Panic Disorder?
Panic disorder is a severe, often self-sustaining form of anxiety. The fear of having another panic attack can trigger an attack, making it harder to manage it without help. The symptoms can also be debilitating, and it is not uncommon for those with panic disorder to find themselves overwhelmed. It may also lead to agoraphobia (fear of being outside or in an unfamiliar environment), which can affect a person’s quality of life.
But anxiety responds well to treatment. Medication assisted treatments (MAT) for panic attacks can be especially effective, especially when combined with psychological support:
- Medication for panic disorder provides more immediate relief, helping reduce the frequency and severity of anxiety attacks.
- Therapy and other behavioral interventions provide the patient with coping and support mechanisms to make it possible to manage anxiety better.
Dr. Sehdev’s role as a Dallas psychiatrist that specializes in anxiety and panic disorder is to find the combination of solutions that is best suited for you. We talk to you about your experience, review your medical and treatment history, and determine the best approach to manage your anxiety and help prevent future panic attacks.
Psychiatric Therapy for Panic Disorder
As a psychiatrist, Dr. Sehdev has more treatments available than therapists and psychologists, and can provide or recommend panic disorder treatment that offers both immediate relief and long term support. Some of the options available include:
- Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors – SSRIs
- Serotonin-Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors – SNRIs
- Benzodiazepines
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Exposure Therapy
At Aware Behavioral Health, we can use medication to help get panic attacks under control, and talk about therapies and behavioral interventions that may reduce your panic attacks and help you take back control.
Contact Aware Behavioral Health Today
Anxiety is a struggle. But the right treatment for panic disorder exists and can help improve your quality of life. Give Dr. Sehdev of Aware Behavioral Health a call today. We are located in Dallas in a convenient location for those in Southlake, Bedford, Grapevine, and Colleyville, and are currently able to take on telepsychiatry appointments anywhere in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.