Panic Attacks

Panic Attacks are sudden onslaughts of intense discomfort, fear, and/or anxiety. They can be distinguished from more general anxiety because of the sudden intensity of the symptoms. Panic Attacks are sometimes called anxiety attacks, though the technically proper term is Panic Attack.

Panic Attacks take the form of sudden and relatively short bursts of arousal, fear, or discomfort. An individual experiencing an attack will typically feel the symptom intensity plateau within seconds. Though the duration will vary, most panic attacks last a few minutes.

Whether a person is relaxed or anxious prior to an attack doesn’t matter. A panic attack can happen at any time.

A formal Panic Attack must have four of the following primary symptoms:

• Rapid heart rate, a pounding heart, and/or palpitations (fluttering, skipped beats, or other abnormalities)

• Sweating

• Shaking or trembling

• Shortness of breath

• A choking sensation

• Chest pain

• Nausea or abdominal discomfort

• Feeling dizzy, light-headed, or faint

• Sudden body temperature changes (e.g. chills or a rush of heat)

• Numbness or tingling sensations

• Derealization (the sense that things around you or even yourself aren’t real) or Depersonalization (feeling disconnected from yourself- almost like you’re watching yourself from outside your body)

• Feeling that you’re losing control

• Feeling like you’re going to die

While the symptoms listed here are the primary symptoms of a panic attack there are a variety of other symptoms that a person may experience such as headaches, neck pain, screaming, crying, feelings of embarrassment, or increased sensitivity to light and/or sounds.

A panic attack can be expected or unexpected. An expected panic attack is one that has an identifiable source or cause. For example if someone who has had panic attacks in the past when waiting to speak in public suddenly has another one while waiting to make a speech, that particular attack would be considered "expected". By contrast, an unexpected panic attack is one that seems to come about out of nowhere, with no obvious cause.

The frequency, duration, and intensity can vary dramatically from one attack to the next. Some may be short while others last for several minutes. One person may have approximately one a week or one a month, while another person has several every day. Likewise, one attack may be particularly intense and have numerous symptoms while the next is milder and has fewer symptoms.

Approximately 25% - 33% of people diagnosed with Panic Disorder (a formal diagnosis) will experience nocturnal panic attacks, where they suddenly wake up from a sound sleep to find themselves in the middle of a panic attack.

In addition, the actual symptoms that a person experiences may be fairly consistent or may vary from attack to attack. Panic Attacks will also vary in both intensity and duration. Some attacks can feel especially strong or long lasting while others may feel milder or shorter.