For someone nearby
How to Help Someone Having a Panic Attack
Updated 2026-11-09
You do not have to fix the feeling. Steady company is already a kind of help.
If someone near you is having a panic attack, you do not have to diagnose it or make it stop. Stay with them if they want that, speak in short ordinary sentences, and ask what would help. Do not take over their body or their choices. If they may need urgent medical help, treat that as urgent.
Do not decide that this is only panic.
Chest pain, breathlessness, faintness, or any new, severe, or worsening symptom needs medical assessment. This guide cannot tell you what is happening. If you think they may need urgent medical help, contact your local emergency service. If they are at risk of harming themselves or someone else, seek immediate crisis or emergency support.
Ask before you act
Consent keeps help from becoming control. You can ask:
- “Would you like me to stay?”
- “Do you want to sit, or move somewhere quieter?”
- “Should I talk, or stay quiet?”
- “Is there someone you want me to call?”
If they cannot answer, stay nearby, keep your voice low, and do not hold them down or force a breathing count.
Keep your language small
Long explanations and cheer can feel like pressure. Short, factual lines are often easier: “I am here.” “You do not have to get this right.” “We can take the next minute.” Avoid arguing with the fear or telling them it is nothing.
You are not their treatment. Your job is presence, safety, and a next practical choice they can accept or refuse.
Offer one option, not a programme
They might want water, a seat, a window, a hand to hold, or no touch at all. If they use an app such as Back, they can open a tool themselves. You can offer to find a quieter spot or a phone, then wait. Switching or stopping is allowed.
After the wave
Do not turn the moment into a review unless they ask. A glass of water, a quieter room, or sitting together can be enough. If attacks keep returning or are getting in the way of their life, they may want to talk with a qualified health professional. You can offer to help them find that support later, without deciding for them.
Look after the edge of your own role
You can have limits. If you need to leave, say when you will check back, and make sure they have another route: another person, a service, or emergency help. Supporting someone does not mean becoming their only plan.
Further reading
Stay, ask, and do not take over.
Company can be enough. Urgent symptoms still belong with urgent help.
Find Back support and urgent-help informationBack works offline and needs no account. Open it when the next minute feels hard.
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