Panic Disorder Health Video

Video Transcript

SKYLAR ULRICH, MD: I'm Dr. Skylar Ulrich. I'm talking about panic disorder. Panic disorder is recurrent unexpected panic attacks. Symptoms generally are sudden attacks of fear and nervousness usually accompanied by shortness of breath, palpitation, chest pains, feeling that your heart is racing, feeling of impending sense of doom, intense fear, sweating, and possibly nausea and vomiting. The treatment of panic disorder depends on the severity of the panic disorder and the duration of symptoms. Usually, psychotherapy is effective as well as cognitive behavioral therapy. If neither of these approaches is effective a lot, medication may be used to treat the panic disorder. Some of the newer SSRIs such as Zoloft and Paxil have been found to be useful and effective in treating panic disorder. Xanax as well is useful in treating panic disorder. It is used when the individual anticipates a situation which may trigger the panic attack. Prevention of panic disorder is difficult; however, certain methods may be effective such as avoiding situations which are known to trigger the panic attack or use of the appropriate medication prior to entering into a situation which may cause the panic attack.