Panic attacks can have such a debilitating effect on one’s life it is normal to feel ‘depressed’ and sometimes hopeless as a result.
If you only started feeling depressed AFTER you experienced panic attacks then the depression is probably only due to feeling hopeless about your anxiety.
Generally these feelings lift once the panic disorder is dealt with.
A therapist will very often treat the Panic first and see if the depression symptoms drop as the panic symptoms subside.
If, however, you have experienced feelings of depression long before you had panic attacks it may be worth exploring further treatment for depression – alongside the treatment for panic.
Read the information in the following pages about depression and if you feel that it describes how you are feeling (or have felt in the past) then talk to your doctor and ask to be referred to a Cognitive Therapist.
Alternatively get some books on overcoming depression using Cognitive Behavioural Techniques. MIND OVER MOOD by Christine Padesky is a great book to start with.