Panic Disorder Psychiatrist in Newington, CT

The first time it happens, most people think they're having a heart attack. The chest tightening, the racing pulse, the feeling that something is catastrophically wrong — it's real. Your body is doing all of that. And then it passes, and the tests come back normal, and nobody can quite explain it. That's often how panic disorder starts — in an ER in Newington or Hartford or wherever you happened to be when it hit. The medical workup rules out the scary physical causes. But nobody follows up with what comes next. So you go home, still shaken, wondering when it's going to happen again. That question — when is it going to happen again — is where panic disorder really takes hold. Sindhia Shyras, APRN helps people get answers and a real treatment plan.

A Panic Attack vs. Panic Disorder — There's a Difference

Lots of people have a panic attack at some point. Stress, sleep deprivation, a difficult period — a single attack doesn't mean you have panic disorder. What distinguishes panic disorder is what happens after: recurrent attacks, and then fear of the next one. That fear starts to shape your choices. You avoid the place where it happened. You monitor your body for signs that another one is coming. You plan exits. You stay close to home. The disorder isn't just the attacks — it's the way fear of the attacks begins to reorganize your life around avoiding them. That's what treatment targets.

Getting the Right Diagnosis Matters More Than You'd Think

Panic disorder is often misdiagnosed — or not diagnosed at all — for months or years. People cycle through cardiology, neurology, and primary care. They get clean bills of health that don't explain what's happening. Some get an anxiety diagnosis that's technically correct but too vague to drive good treatment. A precise diagnosis — panic disorder, specifically — changes what treatment looks like. It determines which medications are most appropriate, which therapeutic approaches work best, and how to think about what's happening in your body and why. Sindhia Shyras does a thorough psychiatric evaluation before prescribing anything. She'll take time to understand your full history, not just the symptoms on paper.

What Happens After You Finally Get the Right Diagnosis

For many people, the diagnosis itself is a relief. Not because the problem is solved, but because there's finally a name for it — and with a name comes a path forward. Panic disorder responds well to treatment. SSRIs and SNRIs are effective first-line medications that reduce the frequency and severity of attacks over time. Understanding what a panic attack actually is — a false alarm your nervous system fires — can also change how you relate to the attacks when they happen. They're terrifying. But they're not dangerous. Treatment helps your brain and body start to learn that distinction for real, not just intellectually.