Learning more about panic attacks

This resource addresses how panic attacks occur when the brain misinterprets a non-threatening situation as dangerous, triggering a surge of adrenaline that prepares the body for action. 

This material is designed to support therapists in educating young people about the nature of panic attacks, emphasising that the sensations are temporary and manageable.  

References and Further Reading

  • Doerfler , L. A. , Connor , D. F. , Volungis , A. M. , & Toscano , P. F. ( 2007 ). Panic disorder in clinically referred children and adolescents . Child Psychiatry and Human Development , 38 , 57 – 71.
  • Last , C. G. , & Strauss , C. C. ( 1989 ). Panic disorder in children and adolescents . Journal of Anxiety Disorders , 3 , 87 – 95.
  • Bracha, H. S. (2004). Freeze, flight, fight, fright, faint: Adaptationist perspectives on the acute stress response spectrum. CNS Spectrums, 9(9), 679–685. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1092852900001954.
  • Steimer, T. (2002). The biology of fear- and anxiety-related behaviors. Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience, 4(3), 231–249. https://doi.org/10.31887/DCNS.2002.4.3/tsteimer.
  • Keifer, O. P., Jr., Hurt, R. C., Ressler, K. J., & Marvar, P. J. (2015). The physiology of fear: Reconceptualizing the role of the central amygdala in fear learning. Physiology, 30(5), 389–401. https://doi.org/10.1152/physiol.00058.2014.