Panic Attack

Everyone experiences fear or anxiety from time to time and this is usually accompanied by physical sensations (such as heart racing and sweating). A panic attack is a bit like “normal” fear but different in a number of ways:

• The feelings are sudden and unexpected so they seem to come “out of the blue”
• The feelings are a lot stronger and so feel very frightening

In a panic attack the person experiences a surge in physical sensations, including but not limited to:

• irregularities in heartbeats (e.g. heart racing, skipping a beat, or pounding)
• dizziness, hot flushes, changes in breathing (e.g. shortness of breath or breathing fast)
• head pounding
• numbness or tingling in various body areas
• feeling sick or experiencing choking sensations
• faintness or wobbly legs
• feeling out of control
• feeling detached and unreal, like being in a daydream

People often have frightening thoughts and think something awful is happening to them when they experience a panic attack. However, it is important to remember that panic is not dangerous or harmful. A panic attack will not cause you any physical harm and it is unlikely that you will be admitted to the hospital if you have a panic attack.

Although panic attacks initially come on “out of the blue”, they may later become triggered by situations where the person has previously experienced a panic attack. This can cause panic to affect the way people behave, so people might try to avoid or escape panic. This avoidance can sometimes become severe and agoraphobia (panic disorder with agoraphobia) occurs as a consequence; this is when people fear and avoid situations that might cause them to panic (e.g. being alone, being in situations where escape might be difficult, or leaving home).