Panic Attacks
(Panic Disorder)
Revising Medical Author: Roxanne Dryden-Edwards, MD
Revising Medical Editor: Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD
"All of a sudden, I felt a tremendous wave of fear for no reason at
all. My heart was pounding, my chest hurt, and it was getting harder to
breathe. I thought I was going to die."
"I'm so afraid. Every time I start to go out, I get that awful feeling in the pit of my stomach and I'm terrified that another panic attack is coming or that some other, unknown terrible thing was going to happen."
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Panic Attack Symptoms
Medical Author: Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD
Medical Editor: William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR
 Panic attacks are sudden feelings of terror that strike
without warning. These episodes can occur at any time, even during sleep. A person
experiencing a panic attack may believe that he or she is having a heart attack
or that death
is imminent. The fear and terror that a person experiences during a panic attack
are not in proportion to the true situation and may be unrelated to what is
happening around them. Most people with panic attacks experience several of the
following symptoms:
- "Racing" heart
- Feeling weak, faint, or dizzy
- Tingling or numbness in the hands and fingers
- Sense of terror, of impending doom or death
- Feeling sweaty or having chills
- Chest pains
- Breathing difficulties
- Feeling a loss of control
Panic attacks are generally brief, lasting less than ten
minutes, although some of the symptoms may persist for a longer time. People who
have had one panic attack are at greater risk for having subsequent panic
attacks than those who have never experienced a panic attack. When the attacks
occur repeatedly, a person is considered to have a condition known as Panic
Disorder.
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What are the symptoms of a panic attack?
As described above, the symptoms of a panic attack appear suddenly,
without any apparent cause. They may include
- racing or pounding heartbeat (palpitations);
- chest pains;
- stomach upset;
- dizziness,
lightheadedness, nausea;
- difficulty breathing, a sense of feeling smothered;
- tingling or numbness in the hands;
- hot flashes or chills;
- dreamlike sensations or perceptual distortions;
- terror: a sense that something unimaginably horrible
is about to occur and one is powerless to prevent it;
- a need to escape;
- fear of losing control and doing something
embarrassing; and
- fear of dying.
A panic attack typically lasts for several minutes, is one of the most distressing conditions that a person can experience, and its symptoms can closely mimic those of a heart attack. Typically, most people who have one attack will have others, and when someone has repeated attacks with no other apparent physical or emotional cause, or feels severe anxiety about having
another attack, he or she is said to have panic disorder. A number of other
emotional problems can have panic attacks as a symptom. Some of these illnesses
include post traumatic stress
disorder (PTSD), schizophrenia, and
intoxication or withdrawal from certain drugs of abuse .
Anxiety attacks that take place while sleeping, also called nocturnal panic attacks, occur less often than do panic attacks during the daytime, but affect about 40%-70%
of those who suffer from daytime panic attacks. Nocturnal panic attacks tend to
cause sufferers to wake suddenly from sleep in a state of sudden anxiety for no
apparent reason and can have all the other symptoms of a panic attack. The
duration of nocturnal panic attacks tends to be less than 10 minutes, but it can
take much longer to fully calm down for those who experience them.
What are panic attacks?
Panic attacks may be symptoms of an anxiety disorder. These attacks are a serious health problem in
the U.S. At least 1.7% of adult Americans, or about 3 million people,
will have panic attacks at some time in their lives, with the peak age
at which people have their first panic attack (onset) being 15 to 19
years. Another fact about panic is that this symptom is strikingly
different from other types of anxiety; panic attacks are so very sudden
and often unexpected, appear to be unprovoked, and are often disabling.
Once someone has had a panic attack, for example, while driving, shopping in a crowded store, or riding in an elevator, he or she may develop irrational fears, called phobias, about these situations and begin to avoid them. Eventually, the pattern of avoidance and level of anxiety about another attack may reach the point where the mere idea of doing things that preceded the first panic attack triggers future panic attacks, resulting in the individual with panic disorder being unable to drive or even step out of the house. At this stage, the person is said to have panic disorder with agoraphobia. Thus, there are two types of panic disorder: panic disorder with or without agoraphobia. Like other major illnesses, panic disorder can have a serious impact on a person's daily life unless the individual receives effective treatment.
Panic attacks in children may result in the child's grades declining, avoiding school and other separations from parents, as well as substance abuse, depression, suicidal thoughts, plans, and/or actions.
Next: Are panic attacks serious? »
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From the Doctors at MedicineNet.com  |
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- Anxiety - Read about anxiety (generalized anxiety disorder, GAD) causes, physical symptoms and signs, medications and treatment. Learn about symptoms (worry, fear) and other types of anxiety disorders. Source:WebMD Medical Reference from The Cleveland Clinic
- Stress - Read about stress symptoms, signs, causes and treatment. Get information on stress management tips, the effects on the body and stress types (teen, job, PTSD). Source:MedicineNet
- Mitral Valve Prolapse (MVP) - Learn about mitral valve prolapse (MVP), the most common heart valve abnormality. Symptoms include fatigue, palpitations, chest pain, anxiety, and migraine headaches from the doctors at MedicineNet.com. Source:MedicineNet
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Last Editorial Review: 4/29/2008
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