Seven Years of Treatment and Still Having Panic Attacks

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Reader’s Question

My partner suffers from panic attacks and anxiety. He has been seeing the same therapist now for the last 7 years, but it seems he hasn’t moved forward with his problems.

Although I am sympathetic to his problems, I feel (as does he) that his therapy has stalled and the counselor he’s been seeing isn’t really helping anymore. In fact, I think there might even be a detrimental effect to him continuing to go to sessions with no results.

Are there any guidelines as to how long it’s productive to see the same counselor? My partner’s panic attacks get started when he finds himself enclosed or confined in situations like lifts, trains, traffic jams, etc. Now, his lack of progress seems to be bringing on some depression. What steps can he take to move forward?

Psychologist’s Reply

Being in certain situations where there appears no escape or control can often be a “trigger” for anxiety and panic reactions. But anxiety and panic enjoys a track record of success in therapy that is unlike the track records of most other types of problems. So, it’s quite surprising that after 7 years there is no progress and perhaps even some unhealthy dependency as well as depression developing.

Mental health counseling is like any other helping profession. The “fit” between a client’s problems and the therapy used to address them is important. There are also the matters of a client’s potential resistance and the goodness of fit between the client’s personality and the therapist’s intervention “style.” So, it’s important for the client always to remain actively aware of how things are progressing and be in charge of determining the best course they need to take to resolve problems.

After 7 years, perhaps it’s time to get a second opinion. It might also prove helpful to determine in advance if the therapist is well-versed in the current state of the art with respect to treating anxiety and panic. A therapist with a primary orientation and training in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is probably best.

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