Understanding Your Panic Attacks Worksheet

What are panic attacks, and what is Panic Disorder?

Panic attacks are sudden episodes of intense anxiety or fear that can happen unexpectedly without any sign of real danger or apparent cause/trigger. Those who suffer from panic attacks can find these experiences frightening and distressing because they can affect one’s quality of life. One is experiencing a panic attack when experiencing and exhibiting symptoms like palpitations, breathlessness, chest pain, dizziness, shaking, sweating, and a fear of losing control or a sense of impending doom.

If one has recurring panic attacks, they may have panic disorder, a type of anxiety disorder. When one has panic disorders, their panic attacks happen frequently and significantly impact their daily well-being. This leads them to live in constant fear of experiencing another episode. As a result, they usually go to great lengths to avoid places and situations where they have an attack.

Those with a panic disorder have similar symptoms as those with a panic attack. The only difference, which is usually one of the basis of diagnosis, is that the patient with a panic disorder experiences the symptoms of a panic attack more often, and at least one attack leaves them afraid of having more attacks.

Though doctors and researchers haven’t found the cause of panic attacks, factors such as significant stress, genetics, changes in brain function, temperament sensitive to stress, or being negative emotion prone can play a role in the frequency of panic attacks leading to the development of panic disorder.

Treatment usually includes medication, relaxation techniques, lifestyle changes, and therapy that utilizes relevant panic attack worksheets, activities, and experiences.

How to use the Understanding Your Panic Attacks Worksheet:

Step One. Access and Download the Template

Secure a digital and printable version of the “Understanding Your Panic Attacks Worksheet” by following either of the steps for accessing and downloading a copy below:

• Click the “Use Template” or “Download Template” button
• Search for “Understanding Your Panic Attacks Worksheet” in Carepatron’s template library’s search bar on the app or website

Step Two. Complete the Worksheet

Give a client a copy of the worksheet and the time and space to complete the worksheet either before or during a session. Don’t forget to assure them they may ask questions or have certain sections clarified. You may use the sample template we provided below as a guide or visual aid when explaining.

Step Three. Discuss the Answers

Once answered, it’s best to discuss what they wrote on the worksheet. Hence, you better understand their condition and can enlighten them with information on their panic attacks and potential panic disorder diagnosis. Aside from discussing the worksheet, we’ll leave it up to you to decide, formulate, and implement the next steps.

Step Four: Store the Template Securely

As soon as the session ends, you must store the template securely to access it when needed for whatever reason or purpose. Physical copies must be securely stored within the facility. Digital copies may be stored on Carepatron, a HIPAA-compliant EHR that guarantees security and gives you the option to limit viewing access to relevant parties only.

When would you use this Understanding Your Panic Attacks Worksheet?

Licensed and experienced mental health practitioners like yourself, psychiatrists, psychologists, counselors, and therapists who conduct CBT sessions and handle patients who have panic attacks can use this worksheet. Look at the list below for specific situations when the Understanding Your Panic Attack Worksheet can be helpful.

Assessment or During Therapy Sessions

The Understanding Your Panic Attacks Worksheet will help you and your client better understand the nature of their panic attacks even before therapy starts. The information you gather from this worksheet will go hand in hand with the client’s history, symptoms, and therapy goals when devising a treatment approach.

Treatment Plan or Approach Formulation and Monitoring

Though it was mentioned that the worksheet can be used initially, you can incorporate it into the treatment plan, especially if the patient isn’t comfortable doing it during the first few therapy sessions. In addition, you may also use the worksheet as an assessment of sorts to monitor their condition, track their progress, and evaluate the effectiveness of a particular approach or treatment.

Teaching or Informing

If the client isn’t comfortable answering the worksheet, you can use it as an educational resource to teach or inform them of panic attacks and panic disorder. You may even enlighten the client’s loved ones so they know when the client has a panic attack and what they can do to help the client.

Do note that even if we’ve provided such examples, it’s still up to your expertise and the collaboration between you and your client when you utilize the Understanding Your Panic Attacks Worksheet.

What are the benefits of using this Understanding Your Panic Attacks Worksheet?

Increased Self-Awareness

One must have self-awareness to effectively identify one’s panic attack symptoms and rate their severity. By answering this, they will consequently develop their self-awareness skills. Furthermore, the knowledge they will gain from this worksheet, like the triggers, physical sensations, and symptoms, will help them recognize or be more self-aware of when they may experience a panic attack so they may manage them effectively.

Individualized Treatment Planning

Clients and their referring physicians can collaborate and use the free Understanding Your Panic Attacks Worksheet when collaborating on coping strategies and relaxation techniques. In addition, since the worksheet can be used to track progress, the client will be motivated to apply what they’ve learned, and the referring physician can use the information they’ve obtained to target their approach or change it when it no longer proves to be effective.

Digitally Accessible

Nowadays, having the worksheet be digitally accessible will make distributing and completing it a breeze since they can fill it out and store it on any PDF editor or Carepatron app when needed.