In the experience of psych-ward employees I've known, psychology is as much of a science as the lottery. There's been experiments and tests done on the credibility of the psychological community. So far what they've suggested is that there's no real way of discerning sanity from insanity difinitively, and that psychologists prescribe drugs to people who don't need them just as much, if not more than they prescribe them to people who do actually need and benefit from them in the long run.
Don't screw with psychiatric pharmaceuticals unless it's a critical situation and you need drugs to make life easy enough to start foccusing on your recovery because you're in a situation that's desperate enough to demand intervention. Going a little shallower than mental illness, psychology isn't even a science when it comes to mental conditions. Fact is, there's no physical evidence that ADD exists except that they seem to calm down when given amphetamines as opposed to speed up. Ironically, fast-paced video games cause similar stimulation to centers of the brain that you get from amphetamines. There's also a strong correspondence to video game playing and ADD development, and studies have shown that while playing video games, people with ADD are more able to concentrate on tasks and solving problems.
Given this, and much other evidence, I feel psychology to be a largely touch and go field in its "discoveries". With no empirical data to back up their statements, and the admission that it's hard for them to know exactly what's going on and what a drug will do, I wouldn't be ready to throw myself at the mercy of your psychiatrist by allowing them to label you as medicated to treat mental conditions. That really is a life changing, confidence shattering label to be given. Not to mention how much the drugs screw you up.
It's good that you are talking to someone, a psychiatrist is good, not my first pick exactly, but not the worst one, just make sure you don't hand over your life just cause someone seems to think you need pills. Another psychiatrist will write you a different prescription for the exact same symptoms most likely. Psychiatric diagnosis is 70% interpretation from the psychiatrist. The difference between a schitzophrenic labeling and beings stressed out can be as simple as saying "I hear the tv talking to me" instead of "I think I might be hearing the tv speak to me". The diagnosis can really be that flimsy at times.
I was diagnosed as clinically depressed when I was 13 because I spoke directly without too much elaboration, and because when asked to draw a person I drew a stick figure instead of a full-featured sketch. According to the psychologist, this indicated a serious chemical imbalance which was causing me to be depressed.
Sorry for the personal lecture there, but I don't like how quickly everyone tells you to "see the 'professional'" (note that "professional" is just a man made label given to indicate a certain level of experience and knowledge, generally relating to a career path. This DOESN'T mean the knowledge they've been taught has been flawless. This DOESN'T mean that they understand all the ramifications of their decisions. This DOESN'T mean they understand you well enough as an individual person to make sensitive judgments on sensitive issues like emotions.
I get anxiety attacks. Yes, it's like a flood. A similar thing occurs occasionally in drug users. Particularly stimulants or psychedelics which increase the rate of your information uptake and processing, same with intensifying the degree of processing each bit of information receives.
The brain overstimulates, like a friction motor that you crank up really fast, but then when you need to stop cranking to cut the power flow, the motor just keeps spinning on its own. Crowds are common causes for this in drug users as well as anxiety disorder sufferers. They're loud, they're chaotic, and they're full of constantly shifting visual details which you need to navigate through, around, or whatever. It's a fast environment to be in, and you need to process a lot in order to navigate your way through it successfully, blocking out thousands of irrelevant voices to concentrate on finding your wallet or something.
When you feel an attack starting to creep up, find somewhere to sit down. Preferably lie down or just find some way of taking all the weight off your body.
Breath deep and slow. Focus on relaxing your breathing and slowly try to push your concentration to a focal point somewhere around your naval. If it's not overwhelming, massage your chest, neck, and shoulders. Personally, I find it easier to start with the chest until my breathing is controlled and the focal point has been achieved before exerting effort into holding my arms up to rub the neck and shoulders.
A few things happen to your body during an anxiety attack. Firstly, you are panicing. That's all that's happening. Why you are panicing is a little tricky to say, you probably know the answer to this yourself somewhere in your head. It's often something which causes the feelings and genre of thoughts you might feel during the onset of an attack, so take note of how you're feeling and what you're getting worked up about, and what about it seems to be working you up. When you panic, your adrenalin levels spike and your brain starts sending signals to your body to speed up your blood flow and to achieve greater oxygen levels in your system to better help you fight off or solve whatever threat SHOULD be naturally causing that reaction in you. As I said, breath deep, full lung-ed breaths, in and out, completely full, comfortably empty. This will help you meet your body's oxygen demands without triggering hyperventilation or other breathing problems. DO NOT rapidly change breathing paces, as this can trigger hyperventilation if done too fast/drastically. Massaging your chest will give you something easy and stress-free to foccus your body on, helping you separate and give in to the anxiety and just letting it flow over you until it passes. Massaging the neck and shoulders will help bring the oxygen rich blood up to the brain and will help meet the oxygen demands, and will help sharpen and refocus your mind, this should help you gain control of your anxiety. Foccusing on your naval gives you a point of neutral calmness to center your mind on. The naval is often used in meditation as a foccusing point, it's a good one, and it's easy to get into.
I wouldn't necessarily close your eyes. Robbing yourself of visual input may actually be more chaotic than seeing where all the noise is coming from. It may help, it may be extremely uncomfortable for you. Chanting calming phrases will definitely help.
Basically your body is in extreme temporarily influenced stress overdrive that you lose control over. You need to work your way back into control. Mental concentration helps center your thoughts. Physical concentration helps you redirect you concentration away from your overworking thoughts. Address your body's response demands, and just remember to follow through the steps to regain control of things. Hopefully you'll find your attacks much more manageable and quick passing.
If you get nausea or clenching stomach with your anxiety, there are pressure points in your wrists and hands which will help to sooth this. If chest massage seems uncomfortable because of this discomfort, try massaging the wrists and palms of your hands. Once that's calmed down, keep going from there with what I've suggested.