What Are The Symptoms Of A Panic Attack And Panic Disorder
A panic attack may cause a feeling of intense fear, terror, or anxiety. Other symptoms include trouble breathing, chest pain or tightness, and a fast or irregular heartbeat.
When you have panic disorder, you have repeated, unexpected panic attacks. And you may worry that you’ll have another attack. Because of this fear, you may change your daily activities to avoid situations that may trigger it.
When To Seek Help
Panic attacks can be frightening and disorienting. If someone is worried about a panic attack, they can talk to their doctor for advice and reassurance.
Recurring or severe panic attacks can be a symptom of panic disorder. This condition affects 23% of people in the United States each year.
A person may want to talk to a healthcare professional if their panic attacks:
- are recurring and unexpected
- are getting in the way of daily life
- do not pass with home coping methods
A doctor can talk a person through both short-term coping methods and long-term treatment options.
The symptoms of a panic attack can resemble those of a heart attack. These include chest pain, anxiety, and sweating. If someone suspects a heart attack or stroke, the person needs immediate medical attention.
Dont Shame Or Minimize
Its pretty common to worry about having a panic attack, especially in front of strangers, or believe the attack might annoy or inconvenience friends or loved ones.
People struggling with anxiety or panic attacks might intellectually understand the response is illogical. But hearing that from someone else can increase their isolation, Bingham explains.
Avoid saying things like:
- Just relax. Theres nothing to be afraid of.
- Youre upset over that?
- Whats wrong with you?
You might not intend to make your friend feel ashamed, but denying the reality of their distress can certainly have that effect.
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How Is Panic Disorder Diagnosed
Medical or mental health providers can diagnose panic disorder. Your provider may diagnose panic disorder when you have repeated panic attacks and you:
- Persistently worry about having more panic attacks or their consequences.
- Obsess about losing control during a panic attack.
- Change your behaviors to avoid situations that may trigger a panic attack.
What Helps To Manage Panic Attacks
Panic attacks can be frightening, but there are things you can do to help yourself cope. It could help to print off these tips, or write them down, and keep them somewhere easy to find.
During a panic attack:
- Focus on your breathing. It can help to concentrate on breathing slowly in and out while counting to five.
- Stamp on the spot. Some people find this helps control their breathing.
- Focus on your senses. For example, taste mint-flavoured sweets or gum, or touch or cuddle something soft.
- Try grounding techniques. Grounding techniques can help you feel more in control. They’re especially useful if you experience dissociation during panic attacks. See our page on for more information on grounding techniques.
After a panic attack:
- Think about self-care. It’s important to pay attention to what your body needs after you’ve had a panic attack. For example, you might need to rest somewhere quietly, or eat or drink something.
- Tell someone you trust. If you feel able to, it could help to let someone know you’ve had a panic attack. It could be particularly helpful to mention how they might notice if you’re having another one, and how you’d like them to help you.
See our pages on and for more information on what could help.
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Causes Of Panic Attacks
The exact causes of panic attacks are not known, but there are a number of different factors that are believed to play a role. These include:
- Brain chemistry
- Personality and temperament
If you tend to be more sensitive to stress or frequently experience negative emotions, you may be more likely to experience panic attacks. People who have family members with anxiety disorders may also be more likely to experience panic attacks, suggesting there is a genetic component.
Women are also more likely than men to develop anxiety conditions such as panic disorder. As a result, experts recommend that women and girls aged 13 and older be screened for anxiety conditions.
When To Get Help
See a GP if you’ve been experiencing symptoms of panic disorder.
They’ll ask you to describe your symptoms, how often you get them, and how long you have had them.
They may also carry out a physical examination to rule out other conditions that could be causing your symptoms.
It can sometimes be difficult to talk about your feelings, emotions and personal life, but try not to feel anxious or embarrassed.
You may be diagnosed with panic disorder if you have regular and unexpected panic attacks followed by at least a month of continuous worry or concern about having further attacks.
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What Is Panic Disorder
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 can occur at any time. Many people with panic disorder worry about the possibility of having another attack and may significantly change their life to avoid having another attack. Panic attacks can occur as frequently as several times a day or as rarely as a few times a year.
Panic disorder often begins in the late teens or early adulthood. Women are more likely than men to develop panic disorder.
When Might I Have Panic Attacks
Panic attacks happen at different times for everyone. Some people have one panic attack then don’t ever experience another, or you might find that you have them regularly, or several in a short space of time. You might notice that particular places, situations or activities seem to trigger panic attacks. For example, they might happen before a stressful appointment.
Most panic attacks last between 5 to 20 minutes. They can come on very quickly. Your symptoms will usually be at their worst within 10 minutes. You might also experience symptoms of a panic attack over a longer period of time. This could be because you’re having a second panic attack, or you’re experiencing other .
“My panic attacks seem to come out of the blue now. But in fact, they seem to be triggered mainly at night when I want to go to sleep but cannot stop my mind racing, experiencing worry and panic about anything that may be on my mind.”
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Try Muscle Relaxation Techniques
Another symptom of panic attacks is muscle tension. Practicing muscle relaxation techniques may help limit an attack. This is because if the mind senses that the body is relaxing, other symptoms such as rapid breathing may also diminish.
A technique called progressive muscle relaxation is a popular method for coping with anxiety and panic attacks.
This involves tensing up and then relaxing various muscles in turn. To do this:
What Do Panic Attacks Feel Like
During a panic attack, physical symptoms can build up very quickly. These can include:
- a pounding or racing heartbeat
- feeling faint, dizzy or light-headed
- feeling very hot or very cold
- sweating, trembling or shaking
- pain in your chest or abdomen
- struggling to breathe or feeling like you’re choking
- feeling like your legs are shaky or are turning to jelly
- feeling disconnected from your mind, body or surroundings, which are types of .
During a panic attack you might feel very afraid that you’re:
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What Happens To Your Body When Panic Strikes
Using this car analogy, what happens in a panic attack is that the gas pedal is suddenly slammed to the floorwith your SNS system pumping adrenaline through your veins like a renegade booster rocket. Not good. Think of a cat walking around minding its own business, and a huge, growling dog suddenly jumps out from nowhere in attack mode. Feel your hair stand on end? That’s what the cat is feeling at that exact moment, and likely what you feel during a panic attack. In a panic attack, however, there is no attacking dog or clear and present danger triggering your body’s natural fight-or-flight response.
What Are The Symptoms Of A Panic Attack
Panic attacks often begin with a sudden sense of extreme danger, quickly followed by an intensely distressing rush of physical sensations. Responding to hormonal signals from a jump-started stress-response system, the body suddenly prepares to fight or flee. The heart speeds up and works hard in an effort to quickly get blood to muscles. You feel your heart racing and pounding in your chest, not to mention shortness of breath trying to keep up with the demand for oxygen. You may feel sweaty and experience trembling as well. People in the grip of a panic attack feel detached from themselves and from the world around them, and typically feel dizzy and nauseous. Panic attacks make you feel like youre dying or going crazy, because there is no obvious danger around.
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What Do We Do With This Information
The same techniques that help us manage stress and anxiety can help us decrease the frequency and intensity of panic attacks. Cognitive-behavioral therapy or CBT can help us learn to practice with small anxiety triggers to train ourselves and our brain to begin to slow down the panic process.
Remember that our amygdala contributes to the memory of dangerous situations and speeds up our responses. We can consciously plant new memories in our amygdala about things we previously perceived as dangerous to override the panic response.
We all experience anxiety and panic attacks differently. Working closely with a mental health professional can help us deepen our understanding of the brains processes and how we can influence them. Living life with anxiety and panic disorders is possible with the right tools and support.
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Types Of Anxiety Disorder
There are several different classified anxiety disorders. Each disorder has different symptoms that certain situations may trigger.
Anxiety disorders include :
- Panic disorder : This involves frequent panic attacks accompanied by the constant fear of future attacks. People with panic disorder may lose a job, refuse to travel or leave their home, or completely avoid anything they believe will trigger an attack.
- GAD: This is a constant state of worry or persistent feeling of dread, which may last months or years.
- Social anxiety disorder: People will have an intense and persistent fear that others are watching and judging them.
- Phobic disorder: This features intense anxiety and irrational fear of an object or situation, for example, a fear of spiders or open spaces. People with phobic disorder may be aware that their fear is irrational.
As well as the physical symptoms of anxiety, people may experience the following:
- feeling tense or nervous
- seeking lots of reassurance from others
- low mood or depression
- rumination, which is when a person thinks about a situation or thought repeatedly
- worry about what will happen in the future
- worrying about anxiety, such as when a panic attack might occur
Not every case of anxiety will include all these symptoms. Anxiety can be mild, moderate, or severe, depending on the trigger and how the person reacts to it.
Anxiety that continues for a long time or has a specific trigger
- the use of some medications
- a recent or past traumatic experience
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What Happens In Your Brain
Scientists are still studying how panic attacks affect the brain. Itâs possible that the parts of the brain that are tied to fear become more active during an episode. One recent study found that people with panic disorder had lots of activity in a part of their brains tied to the âfight or flightâ response.
Other studies have found possible links between panic disorder and the chemicals in your brain. The condition may also be linked to an imbalance in serotonin levels, which can affect your moods.
How Are Panic Attacks Managed Or Treated
Psychotherapy, medications or a combination are very effective at stopping panic attacks. How long youll need treatment depends on the severity of your problem and how well you respond to treatment. Options include:
- Psychotherapy:Cognitive behavioral therapy is a type of psychotherapy, or talk therapy. You discuss your thoughts and emotions with a mental health professional, such as a licensed counselor or psychologist. This specialist helps identify panic attack triggers so you can change your thinking, behaviors and reactions. As you start to respond differently to triggers, the attacks decrease and ultimately stop.
- Antidepressants: Certain antidepressant medications can make panic attacks less frequent or less severe. Providers may prescribe serotonin selective reuptake inhibitors , serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors or tricyclic antidepressants . SSRIs include fluoxetine and paroxetine . SNRIs include duloxetine and venlafaxine . TCAs include amitriptyline and doxepin .
- Anti-anxiety medications: Benzodiazepines are the most commonly prescribed anti-anxiety medication to treat and prevent panic attacks. They help with anxiety but have risks of addiction or dependence. These medications include alprazolam and lorazepam .
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What To Do After Panic Attack
After the event, you need to think about what happened, why and what to do about it. You might uncover a trigger, like a mass gathering of people, an open space or something that reminded you of someone who has been mean to you. Maybe you are experiencing a phobic reaction or reliving a traumatic experience?
Kjell Tore Hovik, PsyD, Ph.D., is a specialist in clinical neuropsychology and co-author of When Crisis Strikes: 5 Steps to Healing Your Brain, Body and Life from Chronic Stress.
Whats The Longest A Panic Attack Can Last
If these symptoms happen so quickly, then how long do panic attacks last? Although it varies from person to person, panic attacks usually last around 20 to 30 minutes, with symptoms peaking after about 10 minutes. Usually, after 20 to 30 minutes, the majority of symptoms subside.
Its important to point out that panic attacks are common indicators of an anxiety disorder. Anxiety is different from panic attacks in that its an actual condition characterized by intense, excessive, and persistent feelings of worry and fear about everyday situations. If you suspect that you may have anxiety or know someone who does, our mental treatment center in Florida offers anxiety treatment that can help you regain control of your health and life.
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Use Muscle Relaxation Techniques
Muscle tension is a symptom of anxiety, and muscle relaxation techniques can help reduce tension and promote relaxation during an attack. Progressive muscle relaxation aims to release tension in one group of muscles at a time to relax the whole body.
Much like deep breathing, muscle relaxation techniques can help stop your panic attack in its tracks by controlling your bodys response as much as possible.
If you attend muscle relaxation therapy, your therapist might take you through the following
- First, you may learn how to tense the muscles before releasing the tension.
- Then, you will learn how to relax the muscles without tensing them first.
- You may also learn how to relax specific sets of muscles, for example, in the shoulders, for practical use in everyday situations.
- Finally, you may learn how to practice rapid relaxation, when you can identify any areas of tension and release it as needed.
To start relaxing your muscles at home, consciously relax one muscle at a time, starting with something simple like the fingers in your hand, and move your way up through your body.
Muscle relaxation techniques will be most effective when youve practiced them beforehand.
Keep Lavender On Hand
Lavender is a traditional remedy that many people use to reduce stress and help them relax.
Research suggests it has a calming effect but doesnt lead to dependence or cause withdrawal symptoms. Using products that contain diluted lavender oil may help reduce or manage symptoms of anxiety.
However, the Food and Drug Administration does not regulate essential oils, and strengths and ingredients vary widely.
If you use lavender essential oil, make sure you:
- get your oil from a reputable source, such as a pharmacy
- follow the instructions for use
- avoid applying concentrated oil directly to the skin
- avoid using lavender with benzodiazepines because the combination can cause intense drowsiness
While research suggests there are health benefits, the FDA doesnt monitor or regulate the purity or quality of essential oils. Its important to talk with a healthcare professional before you begin using essential oils and be sure to research the quality of a brands products. Always do a patch test before trying a new essential oil.
Which essential oil is right for you?
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What Happens During A Panic Attack
Panic attacks are one of the most frightening things that can happen to us, especially when we consider ourselves rational and intelligent human beings that are typically in control of our lives.
The first time or even the first few times we experience panic attacks, we feel like we are dying while our brain scrambles to make sense out of something that makes no sense at all.
Understanding what happens in our brain and our bodies during panic attacks is a critical step in gently accommodating ourselves while we learn the skills to share a life with panic disorder.