“How long does it take for a panic disorder to go away?”

You may start to see panic attack symptoms reduce within several weeks, and often symptoms decrease significantly or go away within several months.

Panic disorder is an Anxiety Disorder and I can not provide a blank statement of when it would "go away," but therapy to learn techniques to reduce panic is efficacious as well as medication, and learn breathing techniques as well.

Usually it lasts about 10-30minutes, but can vary, sometimes longer. But average time is about 30 minutes

A disorder is something that may be a part of life, meaning it disrupts a physical, emotional, or mental part of parts of you body. It might be something you have to live with. The thing is with learning more about yourself you can find the tools to control and eventually eliminate or decrease the disorder with ongoing lifestyle changes.

Hi,

Thank you for your question. It can take a varied amount of time for panic disorder to go away, however a treatment period lasting at least 6 to 9 months is usually recommended. Some people taking medicine for *panic disorder* are able to stop treatment after only a short time. What works for one person may not be effective at all for another. But even though there is not a magic bullet to wipe out every case, through treatment, patience, and persistence, you can find the methods that help you cope with panic disorder. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: A mental health professional can assist you in developing ways to change your thinking and behaviors that allow for lasting relief. Different types of psychotherapy have been shown to be helpful in panic disorder. One of these is CBT, a method that includes learning ways to relax, change unhelpful thinking patterns, manage stress, and increase self confidence. Progressive or gradual exposure is a CBT technique in which therapists slowly introduce a patient to their fears and then teach them to relax while they experience anxiety. For example, if your panic is induced by driving cars on the freeway, your therapist may have you begin by simply imagining cars driving on a freeway. You will then be instructed to keep this image in mind as they guide you into noticing your tension. This focus on uneasy feelings is followed by guided attention to relaxing the body and mind. Over a number of sessions, the therapist will progressively increase your exposure to your fear, from visualizing yourself driving on the freeway, to being a passenger in a car on the freeway, to driving the car yourself. While moving through these phases, you will continue to learn how to remain calm and manage feelings of panic. There are numerous self-help resources that address issues related to anxiety and panic disorder. These are intended to help you manage panic on your own. Common self-help strategies include: Relaxation techniques, such as stretching and deep breathing, positive affirmations and self-talk, peaceful and reassuring visualizations, journaling and other writing exercises, expressing feelings through art, transforming a negative belief system to more constructive and optimistic views, lifestyle changes, such as getting enough sleep, limiting the use of caffeine, eating a nutritious diet, and exercising, medication. Treating panic disorder with medication is often recommended when symptoms persist despite efforts to control them through therapy and self-help strategies. Medication may also be suggested when panic disorder has become so extreme that it affects daily functioning. Antidepressants Medical professionals typically prescribe an antidepressant for panic disorder, usually from the class of antidepressants known as selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors, or SSRIs. These drugs can relieve feelings of anxiety and reduce depression symptoms, which often coexist with panic disorder. Tranquilizers Benzodiazepine tranquilizers are another class of drugs that can ease anxiety and alleviate panic. There is some potential for abuse with these medications. They may also lead to physical dependence if they are taken over a long enough period of time. Overall, there is not one approach that works for everyone. Give different
methods a try to determine what works for you. Even though there is not a cure for panic disorder, you can still experience long-term improvements by finding the combination of treatments that is effective for you.
I hope this information has been helpful!

Best,

Jenna Torres, PsyD

Hello and thank you for your question,

Panic disorder, like all other mental health diagnoses, does not last for a specific amount of time. The duration of the disorder depends on the nature of treatment and interventions used. The specific trigger for panic disorder is also a factor, such as how long one was exposed to the triggering event.

Thank you,

Patricia Harris | MA, MS, LPC

There are two basic kinds of panic experience. In one, there is a sudden, very intense fear response that seems to 'come out of nowhere, and the other starts up less intensely and quickly builds to a crescendo. The first kind is usually connected to a previous intensely threatening experience that gets 'triggered' and then your mind mistakenly responds as if it's now happening or is just about to happen, or sometimes both. When it is cleared, the experience becomes just a part of history and the big upset no longer occurs. That clearing usually only takes a couple of visits with the methods I use. In the second kind, the focus is on how the mind first responds to some kind of perceived threat and then responds to the response as if it is a threat, which causes the mind to amp up the response, and that loop escalates to a peak. The key to that is to recognize that an emotional response is ordinary and non-threatening, and that indifference stops the loop. The second, you may be able to do on your own, but the first will probably require skilled professional attention.
I hope this is helpful.

Note this link for some info on your question:
https://www.helpguide.org/articles/anxiety/panic-attacks-and-panic-disorders.htm#:~:text=Panic%20attack%20signs%20and%20symptoms,anywhere%20and%20at%20any%20time.
or
https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/how-long-do-panic-attacks-last