Do you sometimes have sudden attacks of anxiety and overwhelming fear that last for several minutes? Maybe your heart pounds, you sweat, and you feel like you cant breathe or think clearly. Do these attacks occur at unpredictable times with no apparent trigger, causing you to worry about the possibility of having another one at another time?

People with panic disorder have frequent and unexpected panic attacks. These attacks are characterized by a sudden wave of fear or discomfort or a sense of losing control even when there is no clear danger or trigger. Not everyone who experiences a panic attack will develop panic disorder. Panic attacks often include physical symptoms that might feel like a heart attack, such as trembling, tingling, or rapid heart rate. Panic attacks occur at any time. 

A panic attack is a sudden episode of intense fear that triggers severe physical reactions when there is no real danger or apparent cause. Panic attacks can be frightening. You might think you’re losing control, having a heart attack, or even dying.

Panic attack typically begin suddenly, without warning. They can strike at any time – when you’re driving, at the mall, sound asleep or in the middle of a meeting. You may feel fatigued and worn out after a panic attack subsides. 

Signs and Symptoms

• Sudden and repeated panic attacks of overwhelming anxiety and fear
• A feeling of being out of control, or a fear of death or impending doom during a panic attack
• An intense worry about when the next panic attack will happen
• A fear or avoidance of places where panic attacks have occured in the past
• Pounding or racing heart
• Sweating
• Chills
• Trembling
• Difficulty breathing
• Weakness or dizziness
• Tingly or numb hands
• Chest pain
• Stomach pain and nausea
• Shortness of breath or smothering sensations
• Chest pain
• Feeling of choking
• Hot flashes
• Feeling detached
• Fear of losing control
• Sense of impleading doom or danger

A person with separation anxiety disorder is excessively fearful or anxious about separation from those with whom he or she is attached. The feeling is beyond what is appropriate for the persons age, persists (at least four weeks in children and six month in adult) and causes problems functioning.

A person with social anxiety disorder has significant anxiety and discomfort about being embarrassed, humiliated, rejected or looked down upon in social interactions. They try to avoid the situation or endure it with great anxiety. Common examples are extreme fear of public speaking, meeting new people or eating/drinking in public. The fear or anxiety causes problems with daily functioning and lasts at least six months.

Agoraphobia is the fear of being in situations where escape may be difficult or embarrassing, or help might not be available in the event of panic symptoms. The fear is out of proportion to the actual situation and lasts generally six months or more and causes problems in functioning. A person with agoraphobia experiences this fear in two or more of the following situations:

• Using public transportation
• Being in open places
• Being in enclosed places
• Standing in line or being in a crowd
• Being outside the home alone

The individual actively avoids the situation, requires a companion or endures with intense fear or anxiety. May become unable to leave the house.