Panic disorder is treatable — those attacks can stop.
A panic attack can feel like a heart attack or losing control. When the fear of the next one starts shaping your life, it may be panic disorder — and it responds well to treatment.
What is Panic Disorder?
Panic disorder involves recurrent, unexpected panic attacks — sudden surges of intense fear with strong physical symptoms — followed by persistent worry about having another. People often begin avoiding places or situations where an attack might happen.
Wave helps you understand what’s happening in your body, reduce the frequency of attacks, and break the fear-of-fear cycle that keeps panic disorder going.
A panic attack can include several of these, coming on suddenly and peaking within minutes:
Physical
- Pounding heart or chest pain
- Shortness of breath or choking sensation
- Dizziness, sweating, trembling or chills
Emotional
- Sudden, intense fear or terror
- Fear of dying, fainting or “going crazy”
- Feeling detached from reality or yourself
Behavioral
- Worrying constantly about the next attack
- Avoiding places where attacks have happened
- Restructuring life around fear of panic
How it’s diagnosed at Wave
Because panic symptoms mimic heart and other medical conditions, diagnosis includes ruling those out, then identifying the pattern of attacks and anticipatory anxiety. Understanding the cycle is itself a relief for many patients.
Panic disorder is very treatable. Wave offers:
Every plan is individualized — you’ll feel seen, not processed.
Medication Management
Careful prescribing, ongoing monitoring and genetic testing to match you with the right medication at the right dose.
Supportive Psychotherapy
Talk-based support integrated with your medical care, focused on coping skills and steady, measurable progress.
Interventional Psychiatry
Advanced, procedure-based care — TMS, Spravato and ketamine — for symptoms that medication alone hasn’t resolved.
Care led by a triple board-certified physician
Wave Treatment Centers is led by Dr. Jonathan Beatty, a triple board-certified physician in psychiatry & neurology, addiction medicine and pain medicine, and a Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association. With more than 18 years of experience, he treats the cases other practices send onward — including complex and treatment-resistant presentations.
Because Wave combines everyday psychiatric care with advanced, interventional options under one roof, your plan can evolve as you do — from medication management to TMS, Spravato or ketamine — without starting over with a new provider.
Meet Dr. BeattyYour first appointment
Your first visit is a thorough evaluation. You’ll find a welcoming environment where our highly trained staff work to understand your history, your symptoms, and what you’re hoping to change.
While an evaluation is not a guarantee of a prescription, if medication is deemed appropriate, we’ll work closely with you to ensure you understand the risks and benefits. Together we’ll outline a personalized plan and the next steps that fit your life.
Most new patients are seen within one to two weeks — and care is available both in person and through secure, HIPAA-compliant telemedicine across Pennsylvania, Florida and New Jersey.
Panic Disorder FAQ
Are panic attacks dangerous?
Panic attacks are intensely uncomfortable but not physically dangerous in themselves. Knowing this — and learning tools to ride them out — is part of recovery. We’ll also confirm there’s no underlying medical cause.
Will I need medication?
Some people benefit from medication to reduce attack frequency; others do well with therapy-based skills. We often combine approaches and avoid habit-forming options where possible.
Can panic disorder go away?
Yes. With treatment, many people see attacks become rare or stop, and regain the freedom panic took from them.
Ready when you are.
Reaching out takes courage. Your conversation with us is confidential, compassionate, and pressure-free — schedule whenever you’re ready.
