Panic Disorder Psychiatrist in Branford, CT

You were fine — and then you weren't. Maybe you were out on the water near Stony Creek, or grabbing coffee on the shoreline, when your chest clamped down and your heart started hammering so hard you could feel it in your throat. You thought it was a heart attack. A lot of people do. If you've been cleared medically and still don't have answers, Sindhia Shyras, APRN at Elite Health LLC can help you figure out what's actually happening.

When Your Body Sets Off a False Alarm

Panic attacks are physical events — not just mental ones. Your nervous system fires off a full threat response: adrenaline spikes, your heart rate shoots up, blood rushes to your muscles, and your breathing goes shallow. Arms tingle. Vision blurs at the edges. You feel detached from yourself, like you're watching the whole thing from the ceiling. None of that is imagined. It's your body doing exactly what it's wired to do under extreme threat — except there is no threat. That mismatch is terrifying, and it makes complete sense that you ended up in the ER.

The ER Visit That Changed Everything

Branford's close to the water, and summertime here brings a different kind of pressure — crowds, activity, the constant hum of a town that doesn't slow down between June and September. A lot of people have their first panic attack during a moment just like that. Then they get discharged from the hospital with a clean EKG and a follow-up referral they're not sure what to do with. Getting told your heart is fine is a relief. But it can also feel disorienting — because something obviously happened. Panic disorder is often identified exactly in that gap.

What Treatment Actually Looks Like

Sindhia Shyras, APRN is a board-certified Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner with more than nine years of experience treating anxiety and panic disorder. After a thorough psychiatric evaluation, she works with you on a plan that may include medication management, supportive therapy, or both. Treatment for panic disorder isn't about suppressing what you feel — it's about interrupting the cycle before it takes over your life. Telehealth appointments are available for all of Connecticut, so you don't have to drive to New Britain every time.