Helping a person who is having a panic attack

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Helping a person who is having a panic attack

If someone you know has a panic attack, he or she may become very anxious and not think clearly. You can help the person by doing the following:

• Stay with the person and keep calm.
• Offer medication if the person usually takes it during an attack.
• Move the person to a quiet place.
• Don't make assumptions about what the person needs. Ask.
• Speak to the person in short, simple sentences.
• Be predictable. Avoid surprises.
• Help the person focus by asking him or her to repeat a simple, physically tiring task such as raising his or her arms over the head.
• Help slow the person's breathing by breathing with him or her or by counting slowly to 10.

It is helpful when the person is experiencing a panic attack to say things such as:

• “You can get through this.”
• “I am proud of you. Good job.”
• “Tell me what you need now.”
• “Concentrate on your breathing. Stay in the present.”
• “It's not the place that is bothering you; it's the thought.”
• “What you are feeling is scary, but it is not dangerous.”

By following these simple guidelines, you can:

• Reduce the amount of stress in this very stressful situation.
• Prevent the situation from getting worse.
• Help put some control in a confusing situation.

You can offer ongoing help as the person tries to recover from panic disorder:

• Allow the person to proceed in therapy at his or her own pace.
• Be patient and praise all efforts toward recovery, even if the person is not meeting all of the goals.
• Do not agree to help the person avoid things or situations that cause anxiety.
• Do not panic when the person panics.
• Remember that it is all right to be concerned and anxious yourself.
• Accept the current situation, but know that it will not last forever.
• Remember to take care of yourself.

Credits

Last updated:	September 16, 2008
Author:	Jeannette Curtis
Reviewed By:	Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine, Lisa S. Weinstock, MD - Psychiatry
Editors:	Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA, Pat Truman, MATC