“Can a psychologist treat panic attacks?”

Psychologists are trained in diagnosing anxiety disorders and teaching patients healthier, more effective ways to cope.

Any psychologist, LCSW or LCPC (master lever therapist) who has expertise in the area of anxiety or panic attacks may be able to help with managing your symptoms.

Yes, psychologists are trained in many forms of psychotherapies. Cognitive-behavioral therapy is most often used for panic attacks, but there are other approaches too.

Yes - Panic attacks are generally a result of fear and/or anxiety. We are trained to help individuals manage and ultimately identify the root causes.

Absolutely! As a clinical psychologist, I received training in cognitive-behavioral therapy. It is this type of therapy that is indicated for treatment of panic attacks. It is extremely effective and typically the treatment course using this approach can be completed in about 3 months.

Absolutely a psychologist can treat panic. In fact, that should be your first stop. Using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (or CBT), you can gain long-lasting control over panic and prevent it from worsening or even from happening at all. Medication (from a psychiatrist or some PCPs) can be helpful while you are learning the techniques and, for some with severe anxiety, may be necessary on an ongoing basis.

Dr. Camis Milam

Keep calm and wear your mask!

Hi,

Thank you for your question. Yes, a psychologist can help treat panic attacks. There are many different therapies that are effective for panic attacks, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), psychodynamic therapy, humanistic therapy, Interpersonal Therapy (IPT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), and Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT). Panic reduction techniques include deep diaphragmatic breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, grounding exercises, mindfulness meditation, practicing positive mantras or positive self-talk, guided imagery and visualization, and journaling or stream of consciousness writing. I would recommend you seek services from a mental health professional to help with panic attacks.
I hope this has been helpful!

Best,

Jenna Torres, PsyD

Definitely. This is something that can be treated in a fairly short period of time. I would suggest for you to find a qualified licensed cognitive behavior therapist. The treatment will involve some education about what is occurring. Interestingly, when you feel a panic attack coming on, even if it’s seemingly out of the blue, the truth is that it’s not “out of the blue” at all. Something preceded that panic/anxiety. There was a trigger right before the panic that typically happens so fast that we miss it, and therefore it’s common to think that the panic happens “suddenly” and “out of the blue”. In reality, a thought came first that told you there’s something bad or dangerous happening so it put your whole system into that fight/flight/freeze state. When there’s danger happening, that’s a good thing because it gives you the best chance for survival. But what happens when you have a sensitive trigger that keeps tripping the emergency panic alarm when there isn’t truly an emergency? That’s what is happening with panic attacks. We need to learn to recognize the difference between being triggered by memories from the past that are not occurring in the present, and real danger that is happening in the moment to help you not keep responding to these faulty emergency alerts as though they are real danger signals. You can learn so so much more about this with a psychologist and the how-to’s!! I wish you much success and serenity.

Hello and thank you for your question,

Psychologists usually do testing/psychological assessments. I am not aware of psychologists treating mental health disorders.

Thank you,

Patricia Harris | MA, MS, LPC

See this link for some insight...
https://www.betterhelp.com/advice/panic-attacks/how-to-treat-panic-attacks-and-manage-them/?utm_source=AdWords&utm_medium=Search_PPC_c&utm_term=_b&utm_content=77548444015&network=g&placement=&target=&matchtype=b&utm_campaign=6459244691&ad_type=text&adposition=&gclid=Cj0KCQjw5auGBhDEARIsAFyNm9GS9AkVrppbK3f71mX0FfdcG6kJ1_Vr-fsYORPRA0Pk0q7VpHl7_NQaAnHmEALw_wcB
or
https://www.verywellmind.com/psychotherapy-for-the-treatment-of-panic-disorder-2584312