Sick Note for Panic Attacks and Social Anxiety
Panic attacks and social anxiety are clinically valid reasons to take time off work. Certificates are issued by GMC-registered UK doctors, with full sensitivity and confidentiality.
You should not have to explain yourself in a waiting room to get the documentation you need. Get a signed GP sick note. No appointment needed.
✔ Covers panic disorder, social anxiety disorder and related conditions.
✔ Treated with full clinical sensitivity and confidentiality.
✔ Most certificates same day or by 9AM next morning. From £47.
✔ Full refund if we can't issue one.
Get my sick note 
Accepted by most UK employers, universities and insurers, subject to their own policies. All consultations are subject to clinical assessment and certificates are issued only where clinically appropriate.
Need ongoing support documentation? See also our mental health support letter and stress leave certificate.
Get your medical certificate delivered straight to your inbox from £47
How It Works
Complete short online consult
No appointment required.
Complete a short medical questionnaire and upload any supporting evidence.
Doctor reviews your evidence
A GMC-registered doctor reviews your submission individually.
✔ Full refund if a certificate cannot be issued.
Receive your certificate
Most certificates are issued same day, almost all by 9AM the next morning. Delivered as a signed PDF. A doctor will email you if more evidence is needed.
Certificate security
Every MedicalCert certificate can be checked as genuine
Each certificate is issued with anti-tampering protection and its own verification reference. If your employer, university, airline or insurer wants to confirm the document came from a GMC-registered doctor, they can check it against MedicalCert records. Altered or copied documents do not pass that check.
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Sick Note for Panic Attacks and Social Anxiety
Panic attacks and social anxiety disorder are valid clinical reasons to take time off work. Get a signed GP sick note from a GMC-registered doctor, most same day, without leaving home.
Can you get a sick note for panic attacks or social anxiety?
Yes. You can get a sick note for panic attacks, social anxiety disorder, or both. Where either condition is affecting your ability to attend or perform at work, a GMC-registered doctor can issue a sick note if the clinical picture supports it. You do not need a formal diagnosis, a referral from another professional, or a prior history of treatment. The doctor reviews your current symptoms, their severity, and their impact on your work capacity, and decides what is appropriate.
Both are clinically recognised conditions with their own NHS condition pages, and both are classified in ICD-10, panic disorder at F41.0 and social phobias at F40.1. Employers decide what evidence they accept for absence, and most UK employers accept a private certificate from a GMC-registered doctor for their own absence records and for Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) purposes.
Common situations where a sick note is appropriate include experiencing panic attacks at work or on the way to work, being unable to attend the workplace due to anticipatory anxiety, finding that workplace interactions are triggering severe distress, or needing time off to begin treatment such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) or medication.
| Topic | Details |
|---|---|
| Conditions covered | Panic disorder (F41.0) and social anxiety disorder (F40.1), individually or together |
| Sick note duration | Up to 14 days per certificate. Follow-up notes available if longer absence is needed |
| Self-certification period | First 7 calendar days of absence. No sick note required during this period |
| SSP entitlement | Payable from day one of absence (from 6 April 2026), for up to 28 weeks. £123.25 per week or 80% of average weekly earnings, whichever is lower |
| Equality Act protection | May qualify as a disability under Section 6 of the Equality Act 2010 where the effect is substantial and long-term, meaning it has lasted 12 months, is likely to last 12 months, or is likely to last for the rest of your life |
| Recommended first-line treatment | Social anxiety disorder: NICE CG159 offers individual CBT developed for the condition, and an SSRI for adults who decline CBT and prefer medication. Panic disorder: NICE CG113 uses stepped care, with self-help for mild to moderate cases and CBT or an antidepressant considered for moderate to severe cases. NICE does not recommend routinely combining medication with CBT for social anxiety disorder |
| Delivery | Most certificates approved same day or by 9AM next morning. Signed PDF sent to your inbox |
For general anxiety, see our anxiety sick note page. This page covers panic disorder and social anxiety disorder specifically, including panic attacks at work and social anxiety in professional settings.
How panic attacks and social anxiety affect your ability to work
Panic attacks are sudden episodes of intense fear that bring on strong physical symptoms. They can start very quickly and for no apparent reason, which can make it very hard to concentrate, attend meetings, or carry out normal duties. The NHS describes panic disorder as an anxiety disorder where you regularly have sudden attacks of panic or fear, and says most panic attacks last between 5 and 20 minutes.
Social anxiety disorder involves persistent, overwhelming fear of social or performance situations, including workplace interactions, presentations, phone calls, and team environments. The NHS describes it as a long-term and overwhelming fear of social situations, and says it is more than shyness because the fear does not go away and affects everyday activities, self confidence, relationships and work life.
Both conditions are recognised medical disorders under ICD-10 and can be documented on a sick note. They frequently occur together, and many people experience panic attacks triggered by the social demands of their workplace.
Panic attack symptoms at work
- → Racing heart, chest tightness, difficulty breathing
- → Dizziness, nausea, shaking or trembling
- → Feeling of losing control or impending doom
- → Intense urge to leave the workplace immediately
- → Avoidance of situations that previously triggered an episode
How to get a sick note for panic attacks or social anxiety online
You do not need to visit a GP surgery. MedicalCert connects you with a GMC-registered doctor who reviews your case online.
Complete the online questionnaire
Describe your symptoms, how long they have been affecting you, and how they impact your ability to work. Include any relevant details about triggers, frequency of panic attacks, or avoidance behaviours.
Upload supporting evidence
A short video or written description of your situation, plus photo ID. Previous prescriptions, GP letters, or therapy records strengthen your case but are not always required.
Doctor reviews your case
A GMC-registered GP assesses your submission individually. No automated approvals. If the doctor cannot issue a certificate, you receive a full refund.
Receive your sick note
Most certificates approved same day or by 9AM next morning. Delivered as a signed PDF direct to your inbox, ready to share with your employer.
Panic attacks at work
Having a panic attack at work can be frightening and disorienting. The physical symptoms, including a racing heart, difficulty breathing, dizziness, and shaking, are often mistaken for a heart attack or other medical emergency by colleagues. After an episode, many people feel exhausted, embarrassed, and anxious about it happening again.
If you are experiencing regular panic attacks at work, or if the fear of having one is preventing you from attending, a sick note gives you documented time to recover, start treatment, and plan a return with appropriate support. You do not need to have had a panic attack at work specifically. Anticipatory anxiety about attending work, panic attacks before work, and panic attacks on the commute can all be valid grounds for a certificate, where the reviewing doctor considers the clinical picture supports it.
Taking time off is not a sign of weakness. Panic disorder is a medical condition, and the NHS describes a cycle of living in fear of fear, where avoiding situations you think will trigger an attack can add to the sense of panic. NICE guideline CG113 sets out stepped care for panic disorder, with self-help for mild to moderate cases and CBT or an antidepressant considered for moderate to severe cases. What is right for you is a decision for the clinician treating you.
Social anxiety at work
Social anxiety disorder goes beyond ordinary shyness or nervousness. It involves a persistent, intense fear of being watched, judged, or humiliated in social situations. In the workplace this can make routine tasks, including team meetings, phone calls, client interactions, shared lunches, and open-plan environments, feel overwhelming.
People with social anxiety at work often develop avoidance strategies that gradually limit their ability to function, such as skipping meetings, declining projects that involve collaboration, avoiding break rooms, or calling in sick on days when presentations are scheduled. Over time this pattern can lead to performance issues, disciplinary action, or burnout, none of which address the underlying condition.
A sick note records the absence as sickness absence, which matters when your employer is applying its absence policy, and it opens a formal conversation with your employer about reasonable adjustments. ACAS guidance on supporting mental health at work states that employers must treat mental and physical health as equally important.
Are panic attacks or social anxiety a disability under UK law?
Yes, they can be. Under Section 6(1) of the Equality Act 2010, a condition qualifies as a disability if it has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on your ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. "Long-term" means the effect has lasted 12 months, is likely to last 12 months, or is likely to last for the rest of your life. An effect that has stopped is treated as continuing if it is likely to recur. Whether the test is met is decided on the facts of your case, and ultimately by an employment tribunal.
Both panic disorder and social anxiety disorder can meet this threshold. Where the definition is met and your condition significantly affects your daily life, including your ability to travel, communicate, or work in standard environments, your employer has a duty under Section 20 of the Equality Act 2010 to take the steps it is reasonable to have to take to remove the disadvantage.
Examples of reasonable adjustments
Working from home on days when symptoms are severe. Flexibility around meeting attendance, such as joining by video rather than in person. A quiet workspace away from open-plan areas. Gradual exposure to anxiety-triggering tasks rather than immediate full duties on return. Adjusted performance targets during recovery. Time off for therapy appointments without requiring annual leave. ACAS publishes further examples in its guidance on reasonable adjustments at work. What counts as reasonable depends on the job, the workplace and the employer's resources.
Dismissing an employee for disability-related absence without first considering reasonable adjustments can amount to a failure to make reasonable adjustments, or to discrimination arising from disability under Section 15 of the Equality Act 2010, and it may make the dismissal unfair. It is not automatically unlawful to dismiss on capability grounds, but the employer must follow a fair process and consider adjustments first. A certificate from a GMC-registered doctor gives your employer clinical information to support a formal request for adjustments, although a doctor cannot decide whether you meet the legal definition of disability.
Returning to work after panic attacks or social anxiety
A phased return is often the most effective approach. Rather than going back to full duties immediately, a phased return allows you to gradually rebuild confidence in the workplace while your employer makes any agreed adjustments.
Phased return
Start with reduced hours or fewer days per week, building up gradually based on how you feel. Your certificate can note that a phased return has been suggested, although the arrangement has to be agreed with your employer.
Workplace triggers
Identify specific situations that trigger panic or anxiety. Discuss alternatives with your manager, such as written updates instead of verbal presentations.
Ongoing treatment
NICE CG159 offers adults with social anxiety disorder individual CBT developed for the condition, and an SSRI for those who decline CBT and prefer medication. NICE CG113 uses stepped care for panic disorder. Treatment decisions rest with the clinician treating you.
Fit to work certificate
Some employers require a fit to work certificate before allowing you to return. MedicalCert can issue one alongside workplace recommendations.
Sick pay and employer obligations
If you are signed off work with panic attacks or social anxiety, you are entitled to Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) provided you meet the eligibility criteria. From 6 April 2026, SSP is payable from day one of absence. The previous three-day waiting period has been abolished. The current rate is £123.25 per week or 80% of your average weekly earnings, whichever is lower, payable for up to 28 weeks. The lower earnings limit has been removed, meaning more employees now qualify. Full details are available on the GOV.UK Statutory Sick Pay guidance page.
Most employers accept certificates from GMC-registered doctors, though acceptance is at their discretion under their absence policy. They may also ask for a second opinion through occupational health. Each MedicalCert certificate includes the issuing doctor's GMC registration number and a unique reference number so an employer can verify it.
