Patient: Peter (Pseudonym)
Age: Early 50s
Diagnosis: Anxiety, Panic Disorder
Custody Case: Peter was an expatriate gentleman in his early 50s. He worked for a multi-national company in a senior position. After the COVID-19 restrictions were lifted and people started gradually returning to the office instead of work-from-home arrangements, he started experiencing work stress-induced symptoms including breathlessness, tightness in his chest, feeling flushed when having to present at meetings or giving a speech, and thoughts that he was going to embarrass himself in front of others. He realised that due to the company’s restructuring efforts during the COVID-19 period, the dynamics at work had changed and become more toxic. His boss had become more negative towards him and he no longer felt safe voicing his opinions for fear that he may be fired. He was also having to get used to in-person presentations again after a long period of doing Zoom meetings and presentations which seemed less threatening. Apart from work, he generally led a healthy lifestyle, running and swimming in his free time.
Promises Services: Peter sought treatment at Promises and worked with a therapist skilled in cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT). The therapist guided him through breathwork and mindfulness-based exercises to help him reduce his baseline level of emotional and physiological distress. Then, using cognitive reframing, Peter was assisted to identify and challenge the dysfunctional beliefs he had about work, his boss, and public speaking. He was also guided by the therapist to learn how to manage his panic attacks through guided exposure exercises.
Patient Response: Within 5 – 8 sessions, Peter was feeling better and noticed that he was able to carry out the tasks that he used to fear at work. He was able to attend major stakeholder and networking events, talking to and giving speeches without having a panic attack. He said he could not believe that he had gone from avoiding work trips and anticipating the worst before meetings, to volunteering for chairing committees and setting up new initiatives at work. With help from his therapist, Peter re-evaluated his work goals and whether these were aligned with his values and priorities. As he grew more confident at work, he also felt more empowered to think about other job options and have conversations with his boss about reviewing the scope of his work, in line with his values of autonomy and creativity.
Support Extended: Overall, Peter made good progress with the support he received from Promises.
