1. Phobias Slideshow Pictures
2. Take the Panic Attacks Quiz!
3. Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) Slideshow Pictures

Medical Author:

Roxanne Dryden-Edwards, MD

Roxanne Dryden-Edwards, MD

Dr. Roxanne Dryden-Edwards is an adult, child, and adolescent psychiatrist. She is a former Chair of the Committee on Developmental Disabilities for the American Psychiatric Association, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, and Medical Director of the National Center for Children and Families in Bethesda, Maryland.

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Medical Editor:

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.

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In this Article

• What are panic attacks?
• What are panic attack symptoms and signs in adults, teenagers, and children?
• Are panic attacks serious?
• What causes panic attacks?
• What is the treatment for panic attacks? What medications treat panic attacks?
• What are complications of untreated panic attacks?
• Panic Attack At A Glance
• Panic Attacks (Panic Disorder) FAQs
• Patient Comments: Panic Attacks - Symptoms
• Patient Comments: Panic Attacks - Effective Treatments
• Find a local Psychiatrist in your town
• Panic Disorder Index

Without treatment, panic attacks tend to occur repeatedly for months or years. While they typically begin in young adulthood, the symptoms may arise earlier or later in life in some people. Complications, which are symptoms that can develop as a result of continued panic attacks and develop into other mental illnesses, may include specific irrational fears (phobias), especially of leaving home (agoraphobia), avoidance of social situations, depression, work or school problems, suicidal thoughts or actions, financial problems, and alcohol or other substance abuse. Panic disorder also predisposes sufferers to developing heart disease.

If left untreated, anxiety may worsen to the point at which the person's life is seriously affected by panic attacks and by attempts to avoid or conceal them. In fact, many people have had problems with friends and family, failed in school, and/or lost jobs while struggling to cope with panic attacks. There may be periods of spontaneous improvement in the attacks, but panic attacks do not usually go away unless the person receives treatments designed specifically to help people with panic attacks.

• Symptoms of panic attack usually begin abruptly and include rapid heartbeat, chest sensations, shortness of breath, dizziness, tingling, and severe anxiousness.
• While panic disorder can certainly be serious, it is not immediately organ-threatening.
• A variety of treatments are available, including several effective medications, and specific forms of psychotherapy.
• People who experience panic attacks can use a number of lifestyle changes like aerobic exercise, avoiding alcohol, caffeine, and illicit drugs, as well as stress-management techniques to help decrease anxiety.

Additional resources from WebMD Boots UK on Anxiety-Panic Disorders

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