Navigating the ‘Fear of Fear’ Cycle of Panic Attacks with Bipolar

What if the anxiety you're facing isn’t bipolar disorder alone — but the fear of what might happen next?

With humor, honesty, and practical insight, Gabe Howard, who lives with bipolar disorder, shares devastatingly real stories — including the panic attack that caused him to quit a job from the parking lot. Along the way, Dr. Nicole explains the critical differences between anxiety, panic attacks, panic disorder, and bipolar disorder, while unpacking why these disorders so commonly occur alongside bipolar disorder.

You’ll learn why anxiety can quietly fuel isolation, how avoidance behaviors grow, what treatment actually looks like, and why therapy, coping skills, and medication each play different roles in recovery. Most importantly, this episode asks a powerful question: Can panic attacks and anxiety ever truly go away — or is the goal learning how to fight back?

Listeners will learn:

• why using the correct terminology to describe panic and anxiety is essential for effective treatment
• why medication is often a temporary fix and not a long-term solution
• how to understand the “fear of fear” cycle — and begin breaking free from it
  

Whether you’re having trouble leaving the house or trying to understand why your brain feels stuck on a “what if” roundabout, this episode offers the clinical clarity and authentic perspective needed to help break the cycle. Hit play to better understand the science of panic, anxiety, and bipolar disorder — and learn how to start taking your life back.

"Panic attacks are disruptive as hell, I mean, how many times can I ‘panic quit’ my job from the parking lot before it becomes problematic?" ~Gabe Howard, host

Our host, Gabe Howard, is an award-winning podcast host, author, and sought-after suicide prevention and mental health speaker, but he wouldn’t be any of those things today if he hadn’t been committed to a psychiatric hospital in 2003.
Gabe also hosts Healthline's Inside Mental Health podcast has appeared in numerous publications, including Bipolar magazine, WebMD, Newsweek, and the Stanford Online Medical Journal. He has appeared on all four major TV networks, ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX.
Among his many awards, he is the recipient of Mental Health America’s Norman Guitry Award, received two Webby Honoree acknowledgements, and received an official resolution from the Governor of Ohio naming him an “Everyday Hero.”

Gabe wrote the popular book, "Mental Illness is an Asshole and other Observations," available from Amazon; signed copies are available directly from the author with free swag included! To learn more about Gabe, or to book him for your next event, please visit his website, gabehoward.com.

Our host, Dr. Nicole Washington, is a native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where she attended Southern University and A&M College. After receiving her BS degree, she moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma to enroll in the Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine. She completed a residency in psychiatry at the University of Oklahoma in Tulsa.
Since completing her residency training, Dr. Nicole has spent most of her career caring for and being an advocate for those who are not typically consumers of mental health services, namely underserved communities, those with severe mental health conditions, and high performing professionals. Through her private practice, podcast, speaking, and writing, she seeks to provide education to decrease the stigma associated with psychiatric conditions. Find out more at DrNicolePsych.com.

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