Misconceptions

• Panic attacks are less common than most people think. You may have been told, "Don't have a panic attack," or you may have even said, "I'm having a panic attack!" but most times, these statements would be exaggerations. In fact, the term "panic attack" is often used inaccurately.
  
  

Identification

• A panic attack is the experience of overwhelming fear that is manifested physically through a variety of symptoms including, but not limited to, increased breathing, increased heart rate, sweating, feeling faint, blurred vision and muscle tension followed by fatigue. Panic attacks are most common among those who suffer from depression or an anxiety or panic disorder. It has also been found that patients diagnosed with asthma, heart disease and medical obesity are specifically vulnerable to panic attacks. However, since the symptoms of a panic attack are similar to the symptoms of these conditions, it is unclear if there is an underlying anxiety disorder.
  
  

Features

• The symptoms experienced during a panic attack can be distinguished from symptoms arising from a lung or heart condition by their onset. During a panic attack, there is a buildup of tension in many parts of the body, followed by extreme exhaustion once released. Although the specific symptoms experienced during a panic attack may vary from person to person, they are not localized to a specific part of the body.
  
  

History

• Panic attacks may also occur in individuals without a family history of panic disorder or an underlying medical condition. Extreme stress and trauma can cause an otherwise healthy individual to have a panic attack. Also, women are more likely than men to experience panic attacks.
  
  

Expert Insight

• Panic was once attributed to nerves or as a response to perceived stress. Panic and anxiety were then classified as mental disorders and included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). With increased awareness and advancement in mental health, certain panic and anxiety disorders have now come to be identified as medical conditions.
  
  

Effects

• Having a panic attacks can be crippling, especially the first one. Treatment of the medical condition associated with these attacks thorough medication, therapy or a combination of the two can help to reduce the severity and frequency of these attacks.
  
  

Expert Insight

• Once you have experienced a panic attack, you may actually cause yourself to have another simply by having anticipatory anxiety. Instead of thinking about your last panic attack or fearing your next one, remind yourself that you can talk yourself into having a panic attack just like you can help yourself deal with having one.