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Panic Disorder Treatment in Portland, Maine

A panic attack convinces you something is catastrophically wrong. The disorder is the fear of the next one — and structured treatment interrupts that cycle.

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Written by the Bishop Health clinical team · Medically reviewed by Tamer Wassef, MD
Published August 15, 2026 · Last reviewed August 15, 2026

Panic disorder is repeated, unexpected panic attacks — sudden surges of intense fear with a pounding heart, shortness of breath, and dizziness — followed by ongoing worry about the next one. Bishop Health treats panic disorder in South Portland with structured day programs, psychiatry, and individual therapy; most insurance plans and MaineCare are accepted.

Does This Sound Like Panic Disorder?

Not a diagnosis — a pattern check. The more of these fit, the more an evaluation is worth your time.

○Sudden surges of intense fear that peak within minutes
○Pounding or racing heart, chest pain or pressure
○Shortness of breath, a choking or smothering feeling
○Dizziness, trembling, sweating, chills, or hot flushes
○Numbness, tingling, or feeling detached from your body
○A conviction, in the moment, that you're dying or losing control
○ER visits or cardiac workups that come back normal
○Constant worry about when the next attack will hit
○Avoiding driving, crowds, or places where escape feels hard

Why Panic Compounds

•Biology: panic runs in families and involves an oversensitive alarm circuit — the fear response fires without a real threat
•The fear-of-fear loop: attacks are frightening enough that worrying about the next one can trigger it
•Body vigilance: scanning for heart flutters or dizziness turns normal sensations into alarms
•Stimulants and substances: caffeine, some medications, and withdrawal can spark attacks
•Avoidance: each place crossed off the map makes the safe zone smaller and the disorder stronger

When to Seek Help

After the first attack that made you rearrange something — a route, a commitment, a habit. Panic disorder tends to compound through avoidance, and early treatment interrupts that compounding. If you've already had a normal cardiac workup, the next evaluation belongs here.

How Bishop Health Treats Panic Disorder

Your evaluation routes you to the right tool — this is the map.

IOP / PHP →Daily skills and structure when panic has taken over functioning — without leaving home life behind.Psychiatry & Medication Management →A thorough evaluation first — history, prior medications, what helped and what didn't — before anything new is prescribed.Individual Therapy →Therapy that retrains the false alarm, gradually and at your pace.

Panic Disorder Questions, Answered

How do I know it's panic and not my heart?

You don't — the first time, that's a medical question, and getting checked for a first attack is reasonable. Once cardiac causes are ruled out, recurrent attacks with normal workups point to panic disorder, which is diagnosed by history.

Can panic attacks hurt me?

An attack is intensely uncomfortable but not dangerous in itself — the racing heart and shortness of breath are a false alarm, not damage. The real cost of untreated panic is avoidance: the shrinking map of places that feel safe.

What does treatment actually involve?

Evidence-based therapy that retrains the false alarm, sometimes alongside medication. When panic has taken over daily functioning, our structured day programs provide the full-week version of that work.

Will treatment force me to trigger attacks?

Exposure work is gradual, collaborative, and paced with you — nothing is sprung on you. Facing feared sensations in a controlled setting is how the alarm unlearns itself, but you set the speed.

What if I'm in crisis right now?

Don't wait for an appointment. Call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, call the Maine Crisis Line at 1-888-568-1112, or call 911 if you're in immediate danger.