A panic attack is an anxiety attack (often gratuitous) accompanied by palpitations, fear, shortness of breath, trembling in the body, and other unpleasant symptoms. The person has difficulty controlling his condition and may have a strong fear of death or impending disaster. Panic attacks are most common in large cities, and women suffer from them more often than men.
Symptoms and manifestations
The main sign of a panic attack is the sudden onset of anxiety or fear (of death, going insane, etc.). Because of the over-activity of the nervous system, physical symptoms are also bothersome:
• rapid heartbeat;
• shortness of breath, feeling of lack of air;
• increased sweating;
• trembling in the body;
• nausea;
• decreased or increased blood pressure;
• chills or a feeling of fever;
• pain or discomfort in the chest;
• loss of orientation in space and time.
Often people confuse panic attacks with myocardial infarction and other heart diseases, so they seek emergency care. But in any case, you should not ignore the symptoms of the disorder, because it can lead to disruption of the habitual lifestyle (a person avoids places and situations in which panic attacks occur), the development of depression, and other severe complications.
