Panic Attacks
As we have seen, Sarah likes to understand why things are happening to her. So we want to start with psychoeducation around what panic attacks are, why they happen and keep happening, and how something like panic disorder develops.
Explaining symptoms is important, as people have experiences they fear, or feel they’re unusual, or that something’s wrong. Sarah was afraid she was experiencing derealization. She didn’t know that was a panic attack symptom, and worried she was “losing her mind”.
You can even bring out DSM-5. Show the client, these are the listed symptoms of a panic attack, and this is one of the most common. It reassures the client that they’re in knowledgeable hands, they aren’t alone, and their experience is normal with panic attacks.