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Panic Attack Treatment in Orlando

Panic attacks are frightening but treatable. Get an evaluation and a plan to reduce attacks and regain confidence.

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Medically Reviewed by Empathy Health Clinic Team
|Last reviewed: February 2026

Winter Park, FL

Serving Central Florida

Same-Week Appointments

Flexible scheduling available

In-Person & Telehealth

Choose what works for you

What panic attacks feel like

A panic attack is an acute surge of intense fear that peaks within minutes and produces overwhelming physical symptoms — heart pounding or racing, chest tightness or pain, shortness of breath or a smothering sensation, dizziness or lightheadedness, sweating, trembling, nausea, numbness or tingling in the extremities, and a feeling of unreality or detachment. Many people experiencing their first panic attack go to the emergency room convinced they are having a heart attack or a neurological event. The physical sensations are very real, driven by sudden sympathetic nervous system activation, but they are not medically dangerous. What makes panic disorder distinct from occasional anxiety is the persistent fear of future attacks — this anticipatory anxiety leads to avoidance of situations where attacks have occurred or might occur, progressively restricting daily life. At Empathy Health Clinic, our providers understand both the terrifying subjective experience of panic and the neurobiological mechanisms behind it, and we offer treatment that addresses both dimensions.

Rule-outs and evaluation

Because panic symptoms overlap with several medical conditions, a thorough evaluation at Empathy Health Clinic includes systematic rule-outs before attributing symptoms to panic disorder. Your provider reviews cardiac history and may recommend EKG or cardiac clearance if chest pain or palpitations are prominent, since arrhythmias and mitral valve prolapse can produce panic-like episodes. Thyroid function is assessed because hyperthyroidism mimics panic with rapid heartbeat, sweating, and tremor. Respiratory conditions, vestibular dysfunction, stimulant medication side effects, excessive caffeine intake, and hypoglycemia are all evaluated as potential contributors. Once medical causes are excluded or addressed, the psychiatric assessment explores the pattern of your panic episodes — frequency, triggers versus spontaneous onset, severity, and the degree to which anticipatory anxiety and avoidance have developed. Co-occurring conditions including agoraphobia, generalized anxiety, depression, and ADHD are screened for, because comprehensive treatment must address the full clinical picture rather than panic symptoms in isolation.

Therapy-focused strategies

Cognitive-behavioral therapy is the most effective treatment for panic disorder and is often recommended as the first-line intervention at Empathy Health Clinic. Therapy begins with psychoeducation about the fight-or-flight response, explaining how catastrophic misinterpretation of benign physical sensations — mistaking a rapid heartbeat for cardiac arrest, or dizziness for impending loss of consciousness — creates a feedback loop that escalates normal arousal into full-blown panic. Interoceptive exposure is a core technique: your therapist guides you through exercises that deliberately recreate panic sensations in a controlled context — breathing through a straw to simulate air hunger, spinning in a chair to produce dizziness, or running in place to elevate heart rate — which teaches your nervous system that these sensations are uncomfortable but not dangerous. Cognitive restructuring targets the catastrophic thoughts that fuel the cycle, replacing predictions of imminent death or loss of control with realistic probability assessments. Situational exposure addresses avoidance patterns, gradually returning you to places and activities you have been avoiding.

When psychiatry evaluation is helpful

A psychiatric evaluation for panic disorder is recommended when panic attacks are frequent and severe, when avoidance has significantly restricted your daily functioning, when therapy alone has not produced sufficient improvement, or when co-occurring depression or other anxiety disorders complicate the clinical picture. Our board-certified psychiatrists at the Winter Park office — or via telepsychiatry — prescribe evidence-based medications that reduce panic frequency and severity. SSRIs such as sertraline or escitalopram are the first-line pharmacological treatment, gradually increasing serotonergic tone to raise the threshold for panic activation. SNRIs like venlafaxine offer an alternative mechanism. Buspirone can help with baseline anticipatory anxiety, while hydroxyzine provides non-habit-forming acute relief for situational anxiety without the dependency risks associated with other sedating medications. Your psychiatrist coordinates with your therapist to ensure medication supports rather than replaces the behavioral learning that produces lasting panic resolution. The goal of medication is to reduce symptom intensity enough for you to engage fully in the exposure-based therapy that drives long-term recovery.

Common Questions About Panic Attack Treatment

Related Resources

Related Condition HubPanic Attacks

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