Condition · Texas
Panic Disorder Treatment in Texas
Panic disorder means recurrent, unexpected panic attacks plus at least a month of worry about the next one or behaviour change to prevent it. The attacks are frightening but not dangerous, and the disorder responds well to treatment. Lyte Psychiatry treats panic across Texas.
Clinically reviewed by Dr. Akinwande Akintola, MD · Last reviewed July 2026 · Next review January 2027
Understanding panic disorder
A panic attack peaks within about ten minutes: pounding heart, breathlessness, sweating, shaking, chest tightness, dizziness, and often a conviction that you are dying or losing control. The physical intensity is real, which is why many people first present to an emergency department.
The disorder is not the attacks themselves; it is the loop that forms afterwards. Fear of the next attack drives monitoring of body sensations, which raises arousal, which makes another attack more likely. That loop, not the adrenaline, is what treatment breaks.
Effective therapy deliberately runs toward the sensations rather than away from them, using interoceptive exposure to teach the body that a racing heart is uncomfortable rather than dangerous. That is a specific technique, not general talk therapy.
Symptoms and when to seek an evaluation
- Sudden attacks peaking within minutes
- Pounding heart, chest tightness, or breathlessness during attacks
- Sweating, trembling, dizziness, or numbness and tingling
- A sense of unreality or fear of dying or losing control
- Persistent worry about when the next attack will come
- Avoiding places, exercise, or caffeine because of what they might trigger
Seek an evaluation when these symptoms have lasted for weeks, are getting worse, or are affecting your work, sleep, or relationships. If you are thinking about harming yourself, call or text 988 now.
What your first visit involves
- Attack anatomy: onset speed, peak, duration, and what you do during and after
- Confirming any completed cardiac or thyroid workup rather than repeating it
- Screening for agoraphobic avoidance, which changes the treatment plan
- Reviewing caffeine, stimulants, alcohol, and sleep as amplifiers
First appointments run longer than follow-ups so there is time to take a full history. You leave with a working diagnosis, a plan, and a follow-up date rather than a prescription and no explanation.
Therapy, psychiatry, and combined care
- CBT for panic, including interoceptive exposure to feared body sensations
- Breathing and arousal-regulation skills used as practice rather than as escape
- SSRI or SNRI medication when attacks are frequent or avoidance is entrenched
- A written plan for what to do during an attack, replacing emergency-department visits
- Treatment of co-occurring agoraphobia when travel and public places are affected
Therapy and psychiatry are delivered in-house by clinicians licensed in Texas and share one chart, so a prescriber and a therapist working with you are looking at the same notes. Many people do best with both.
What we do not treat here
- Lyte does not perform cardiac testing; chest pain with new or atypical features needs medical evaluation first
- As-needed benzodiazepines are not the long-term plan, because they can reinforce the avoidance loop
- Inpatient and crisis stabilisation services are outside Lyte's outpatient scope
Care options at Lyte
Clinicians who provide this care
Insurance and cost
Lyte is in network with several Texas plans, and coverage depends on your specific plan and benefits. We verify your benefits before the first visit so you know your expected cost in advance. See which plans we accept.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know it is panic and not my heart?
You often cannot tell in the moment, and new, exertional, or atypical chest pain should always be evaluated medically. Once cardiac causes have been excluded, repeat attacks that peak within minutes and resolve within an hour are the classic panic pattern.
Can panic attacks be dangerous?
The attacks themselves are not physically dangerous, however overwhelming they feel. The harm comes from the avoidance that builds up afterwards, which is why treatment targets the fear cycle rather than just the symptoms.
Do I need medication, or is therapy enough?
Panic-focused CBT alone resolves symptoms for many people. Medication is added when attacks are frequent, when avoidance is already severe, or when anxiety is too high to start exposure work.
Why does exposure therapy involve triggering the symptoms?
Because the fear is of the sensations. Deliberately and safely producing a fast heartbeat or breathlessness in session teaches your nervous system that the sensation passes on its own, which is what breaks the loop.
Sources
Related conditions
- Agoraphobia: avoiding places where escape feels hardAgoraphobia develops from panic in roughly a third of cases and requires added exposure work.
- Anxiety: the broader anxiety picturePanic often coexists with other anxiety disorders that need naming separately.
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder: constant background worryGAD is continuous while panic is episodic; distinguishing them changes the therapy protocol.
- Illness Anxiety Disorder: fear that the symptoms mean something medicalBody-sensation monitoring is the shared mechanism behind both presentations.
This page is for general education and is not medical advice or a substitute for care from your own clinician. If you are in crisis, call or text 988 (the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline), and for a medical emergency call 911.
Book a panic disorder evaluation
Lyte Psychiatry sees patients by secure telehealth across Texas and in person at our Pantego clinic in the Dallas–Fort Worth area.
Book an appointment