Panic

Many people experience some mild sensations when they feel anxious about something, but a panic attack is much more intense than usual. A panic attack can be very frightening and you may feel a strong desire to escape the situation or to seek emergency assistance.

Panic disorder is used to describe the condition where panic attacks seem to happen unexpectedly rather than always in predictable situations. Importantly, someone with panic disorder has a persistent fear of having another attack or worries about the consequences of the attack. Many people change their behaviour to try to prevent panic attacks. Some people are affected so much that they try to avoid any place where it might be difficult to get help or to escape from. When this avoidance is severe it is called agoraphobia.

When Panic Attacks: This workbook is designed to provide you with some information about panic attacks and panic disorder and suggested strategies for how you can manage your panic and anxiety.  It is organised into modules that are designed to be worked through in sequence.  We recommend that you work through the modules in order before moving to the next one. Each module includes information, worksheets, and suggested exercises or activities.

Module 1: Overview of Panic

This module describes panic attacks and panic disorder and looks at the symptoms of panic.

Module 2: What Keeps Panic Disorder Going

The aim of this module is to provide you with some more detailed information on how panic attacks actually develop. This module will also describe how panic attacks develop into panic disorder and what treatment strategies may be useful.

Module 3: Overcoming Thoughts About Panic

This module looks at the relationship between negative thinking and panic disorder and introduces a strategy to challenge unhelpful thinking about panic symptoms.

Module 4: Coping with Physical Alarms

The aim of this module is to give you information about how to challenge your beliefs about panic symptoms by actually experiencing them. Research has shown that this is particularly important in being able to successfully overcome panic symptoms and distress about panic symptoms.

Module 5: Facing Feared Situations

In this module you will learn how avoidance keeps panic disorder going, and how to start approaching situations or activities you avoid to challenge your fears.

Module 6: Dropping Safety Behaviours

This module explains what safety behaviours are, how they keep panic disorder going, and how to reduce your use of safety behaviours.

Module 7: Maintaining Your Gains

This final module describes how to maintain your gains and continue the progress that you have made throughout the previous modules. 

Download the entire workbook

Click the link above to download all modules in this workbook at once, as a zip file.

Some people who experience panic attacks may notice that they worry a lot of the time. If you find it hard to switch off from worries and negative thinking you might find our worry resources helpful.

Last Updated: 22/12/2023

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