Panic Disorder
Stop living in fear of panic attacks. Dr. Fickey provides compassionate care for Panic Disorder with proven therapies and medication.
Understanding Panic Disorder
Panic Disorder involves repeated, unexpected panic attacks, sudden episodes of intense fear accompanied by physical symptoms. These episodes can feel overwhelming and may lead to ongoing worry about future attacks.
Common Symptoms
Racing heartbeat or chest pain
Shortness of breath
Sweating, trembling, or dizziness
Fear of losing control or “going crazy”
What Causes Panic Disorder?
Panic disorder often begins in the late teens or early adulthood and tends to run in families. Genetics, differences in how the brain responds to perceived danger, and sensitivity to physical sensations such as a racing heart all appear to play a role.
Major stress, significant life transitions and traumatic experiences can set off the first attacks. Over time, fear of having another attack can lead people to avoid places or situations, which makes the cycle harder to break.
How Panic Disorder Is Diagnosed
Because panic attacks can feel like a heart attack or another medical emergency, it is important to rule out physical causes first. Our psychiatric evaluation reviews how often attacks happen, what they feel like, and how much worry or avoidance they cause between episodes.
We also screen for related conditions such as generalized anxiety, depression, agoraphobia and substance use, which commonly occur alongside panic disorder.
Treatment Approach
At Embracing Life Wellness Center, we provide comprehensive care, which may include:
Comprehensive evaluation and diagnosis
Medication Management and non Medicated options
Regaining Control
Panic disorder is highly treatable. Many people see major improvement with therapy that teaches skills for managing physical sensations and anxious thoughts, often combined with medication management. With treatment, attacks usually become less frequent and less intense.
If panic attacks are limiting your life, Embracing Life Wellness Center can help at our Tampa, Riverview and Coral Gables offices, with telehealth available throughout Florida. Request an appointment to get started.
What to Do During a Panic Attack
Remember that a panic attack, while frightening, is not dangerous and will pass, usually peaking within about ten minutes. Slow, steady breathing, grounding yourself by naming things you can see and hear, and reminding yourself that the feeling is temporary can help.
Try not to leave the situation immediately, since staying often teaches the brain that it is safe. If you have chest pain or symptoms you have never had before, seek emergency medical care to rule out other causes.
Take the First Step
Don’t let panic control your life. Reach out to Embracing Life Wellness Center for compassionate and effective treatment.
book your appointment
Our Mental Health & NeuroStar TMS Services
We specialize in psychiatric treatment and TMS therapy for a variety of conditions, including, but not limited to, the following:
NeuroStar Advanced Therapy (TMS)
Embracing Life Wellness Center is proud to offer NeuroStar TMS therapy in-office for depression treatment.
TMS makes long-term remission possible for patients living with depression. Over 3 million treatments have been safely performed by the NeuroStar TMS device and our patients are experiencing significant benefits.
learn more about treatment
Message from Dr. Melissa Fickey
“As the founder of Embracing Life Wellness Center, my vision was to have a practice that offers only high-quality mental health treatment in a caring and compassionate environment, setting the standard
of what patients should expect from their mental health care provider. I am proud to say we have
done just that at Embracing Life Wellness Center, while empowering our patients to embrace their lives to the fullest. We are passionate about mental wellness and we will continue to strive on the path towards excellence, only offering the best mental health treatment for our patients and our community.”
Get In Touch
Our offices are open 24/7 for office visits and TMS treatments.
