A sudden, intense anxiety that leaves you feeling out of control or afraid for your life is called a panic attack. These attacks may make you short of breath or dizzy and you may feel as if you’re having a heart attack or are going to be sick. If they happen often and without warning, you may have panic disorder.

People with panic disorder have frequent panic attacks without justifiable reason. Scientists aren’t sure what causes them, but it seems that the body’s fight-or-flight response—a defense mechanism that shortens reaction time and prepares a person to face (or flee from) a perceived threat—is activated even when there is no real danger. The attacks may result from an imbalance of chemicals in the brain, a health problem such as an overactive thyroid or depression, alcohol or drug abuse, or overuse of nicotine or caffeine.

Attacks are often triggered by agoraphobia—fear of being in a crowd or in open spaces, such as shopping malls. About one-third of people with panic disorder become homebound or cannot confront a feared situation without being accompanied by someone they trust.

Symptoms of panic attacks include feelings of intense fear or anxiety, difficulty breathing, chest pains or tightness, racing heartbeat, sweating, dizziness, nausea, and numbness that can last from 5 to 20 minutes. Attacks can occur at any time, even during sleep. When a person begins to change his or her daily activities for fear of suffering another attack—or begins to worry incessantly about when another one will occur—it’s a good sign that he or she may have panic disorder. Panic attacks often begin in late adolescence or early adulthood, but not everyone who has one or two attacks will develop full-blown panic disorder.

Counseling and medication, often combined, can be effective in treating panic disorder. Early treatment can help prevent related conditions, such as depression and substance abuse, and can keep people from having future attacks and becoming further disabled by avoiding places where these attacks occur.

ADDITIONAL FACTS

  1. Symptoms of an anxiety attack typically peak at about 10 minutes, although they can last much longer.
  2. Twice as many women as men have panic disorder. The condition affects about 1 in 75 people
  3. People with a depressed or bipolar parent have a higher risk of developing panic disorder.