Hi Madara,
Panic disorder can be treated effectively with cognitive- behavioral therapy (CBT), pharmacological therapy, and possibly a combination of CBT and medication.
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
CBT combines the techniques of cognitive and behavioral therapy.
Behavioral Therapy
Behavioral Therapy focuses on changing specific actions and uses several techniques to decreases or stop unwanted behavior. One set of techniques is designed to help to become less sensitive to internal bodily sensations.
For example, one technique trains patients in diaphragmatic breathing, a special breathing exercise involving slow, deep breaths to reduce anxiety. This is necessary because people who are anxious often hyperventilate; taking rapid shallow breaths that can trigger rapid heartbeat, light-headedness, and other symptoms of panic.
Another technique, exposure therapy, gradually exposes patients to what frightens them and helps them cope with their fears.
Like behavioral therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy teaches to react differently to the situations and bodily sensations that trigger panic attacks and other anxiety symptoms. One also learns to understand how their thinking patterns contribute to their symptoms and how to change their thoughts so that symptoms are less likely to occur. This awareness of thinking patterns is combined with exposure and other behavioral techniques to help people confront their feared situations.
For example, someone who becomes light-headed during a panic attack and fears he is going to die can be helped with the following approach used in cognitive-behavioral therapy. The therapist asks him to spin in a circle until he becomes dizzy. When he becomes alarmed and starts thinking: "I'm going to die," he learns to replace that thought with a more appropriate one, such as "It's just a little dizziness, I can handle it."
CBT teaches to anticipate the situations and bodily sensations that are associated with their panic attacks. This awareness sets the stage for helping to control the attacks.
Teaching exercises to prevent the hyperventilation that often triggers a panic attack help. The exercises also help to replace alarmist thoughts such as, "I'm dying," with more appropriate ones, such as, "I'm just hype
