Panic disorder/Agoraphobia

Panic disorder

Many of us will have a panic attack from time to time. Panic attacks are sudden attacks of extreme anxiety (or fear). Signs include a racing heartbeat, sweating, trembling or shaking, feeling unable to breathe, choking sensations, chest pains, nausea, or feeling dizzy and faint. You may fear losing control, going ‘crazy’, having a heart attack, or fear that some other bad thing is going to happen.

Panic Disorder is when your panic attacks happen over and over again. The panic attacks come out of the blue, when you’re not in danger, and for no reason. You may find that you worry a lot about having another panic attack, and this can set off more attacks, or lead you to avoid situations in case you have a panic attack.

There are very effective short treatments to help with Panic Disorder. To refer yourself to Talk Liverpool, click HERE. 

Agoraphobia 

Agoraphobia doesn’t just mean a fear of open spaces, it means a fear of places or situations which might be difficult to escape from. You may feel very anxious when going into shops, or being in crowds, or when travelling on trains, buses or planes. This can lead you to avoid certain places and situations, or you may have things you do to help you cope, such as shopping online, or asking other people to do your shopping for you, or having someone else with you when you go out.

People with agoraphobia usually have panic disorder too, and if they find themselves in a stressful situation, they can have a panic attack.

There are treatments that have been shown to work well for agoraphobia. To refer yourself to Talk Liverpool, click HERE.