When do you need urgent help?
Call local emergency services for sudden chest pain or pressure that does not go away, severe breathing difficulty, loss of consciousness with unresponsiveness, or sudden trouble speaking. Skip the test if you have any of these symptoms. Seek medical assessment after a first or noticeably different episode, even if you feel better.
Take the panic attack self-check
Think of one recent episode. The self-check helps you prepare for a conversation with a clinician. It cannot give a diagnosis. Seek help immediately if you notice warning signs.
Five questions about a recent episode
- Was this your first episode, or did it feel noticeably different from previous ones?
- Did fear or intense discomfort build suddenly, within a few minutes?
- Have similar episodes happened more than once?
- After the episode, did you worry that it would happen again?
- Have you started avoiding travel, meetings or other usual activities because of it?
How to understand the result
The self-check uses your answers to suggest a next step without giving you a score. If you are using the page without the interactive questions, find the guidance that fits below.
- A first, different or unclear episode. Seek a medical assessment, even if you feel better.
- Recurrence, worry or avoidance. Tell your clinician when it started and what has become harder to do.
- No clear pattern so far. Note one situation. Discuss it with a clinician if you are unsure of the cause or it happens again.
What can a panic attack feel like?
Your heart started racing at the checkout and you moved your trolley aside. Once the strongest wave passed, you wanted to know what had happened. Think back to what you felt first.
- Fear or intense discomfort builds suddenly.
- Your heart races, or you feel shaky, sweaty, dizzy or short of breath.
- Afterwards, you may fear another episode and avoid places where it happened.
Yav in the institute’s framework means what you feel in your body, what was happening and how it affects your day. You can describe these things to a clinician in your own words.
Why can the fear of another attack linger?
Your heart speeds up, you think “It’s happening again,” tense up and check your pulse. Like a sensitive alarm, a loud signal gets your attention without telling you what set it off. Tell your clinician what you felt and how fear affected what you did next.
| What adds pressure | What you can do |
|---|---|
| “I need an exact score.” | Describe how the episode started and how it ended. |
| “It passed, so there is no point mentioning it.” | Discuss a first or different episode with a clinician. |
| “I should handle it alone.” | Ask someone to stay with you or help you make an appointment. |
You can ask for help even if you do not yet know what to call the episode.
What can you notice in past experiences?
Nav in Alexander Zharkov’s framework means past experience and learned rules, including family patterns. A “breach in your boundaries” or “taking in other people’s chaos” describes how someone else’s urgency can crowd out your need for a pause. These are metaphors for discussing boundaries. A clinician assesses the cause of physical symptoms.
- What was going on before you noticed the tension?
- What made it hard to take a pause or ask for help?
- What familiar rule came to mind?
What can you do during a familiar attack?
During a familiar attack, follow the plan agreed with your clinician. In a safe place, you can try a short exercise in paying attention to your body, which the institute calls working with Zhiva.
- Sit on a steady bench or chair and put both feet on the floor.
- Rest your hands on your thighs and breathe at a comfortable pace without forcing it.
- Look at one object nearby and silently name its colour.
Stop if the exercise makes you feel worse. Seek urgent help if you notice warning signs.
What can you do after the self-check?
Prav in the institute’s framework means the direction you take next. Start with what you can do yourself and what you can ask someone else to help with.
- Note when one situation happened, how long it lasted, what you felt first and what was going on.
- Write down whether you have started avoiding places or changing plans. Bring your notes to your appointment.
- Ask someone close to you for one specific thing, such as staying on the phone while you make an appointment.
The institute offers a separate 40-day programme for exploring habits and boundaries. Its six stages cover attention to the body, emotions, thoughts and family patterns.
How can healthcare and the Zhiva approach fit together?
| Support | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Healthcare | Symptoms, other possible causes, assessment and treatment options. |
| The institute’s consultation | One everyday situation, learned rules and a next step in a conversation about boundaries. |
Maria’s personal account
Maria talks to the camera about rushing and feeling tense in daily life. She says her responsibilities stayed the same after the programme and that she felt calmer dealing with everyday problems. She is describing her own experience of daily stress. She does not discuss panic attacks or a medical assessment.
Maria in her video account of the 40-day programme and her separate experience of the Bukvitsa game.
Questions about the panic attack self-check
Can the test confirm panic disorder?
Your answers cannot confirm panic disorder or rule out other causes. A clinician considers your history, fear of another episode and the impact on daily life, and may arrange an assessment.
What if I answered “no” to all five questions?
That still leaves the cause of your symptoms open. Discuss a first, unusual or recurring episode with a clinician.
Can I answer about an episode that happened at night?
Yes, recall what woke you and how long the sensations lasted. Discuss a first or unusual night-time episode with a clinician, and seek urgent help for warning signs.
Do I need to show my result to a clinician?
You can describe one situation in your own words: how it began, what you felt and what changed afterwards. Mention whether episodes recur or whether you have started avoiding usual activities.
Where can you start a personal consultation?
If you want to explore how to ask for a pause or support, choose one conversation. Quantum Diagnostics is a personal consultation about past experience, current circumstances and your next step, using Alexander Zharkov’s approach.
Individual text consultation · €30. Continuing with a programme is optional.
How the personal consultation works