Panic attacks are sudden periods of intense fear and discomfort that may include palpitations, otherwise defined as a rapid, irregularheartbeat, sweating, chest pain or discomfort, shortness of breath, trembling, dizziness, numbness, confusion, or a sense of impending doom or loss of control.[1][2][8] Typically, these symptoms are the worst within ten minutes of onset and can last for roughly 30 minutes, though they can vary anywhere from seconds to hours.[3][9] While they can be extremely distressing, panic attacks themselves are not physically dangerous.[7][10]
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual V (DSM-5) defines them as "an abrupt surge of intense fear or intense discomfort that reaches a peak within minutes and during which time four or more of the following symptoms occur." These symptoms include, but are not limited to, the ones mentioned above.[11]
Panic attacks function as a marker for assessing severity, course, and comorbidity (the simultaneous presence of two or more diagnoses) of different disorders, including anxiety disorders. Hence, panic attacks can be applied to all disorders found in the DSM.[12]
Panic attacks can be caused by a identifiable source, or they may happen without any warning and without a specific, recognizable situation.[2]
Before making a diagnosis, physicians seek to eliminate other conditions that can produce similar symptoms, such as hyperthyroidism (an overactive thyroid), hyperparathyroidism (an overactive parathyroid), heart disease, lung disease, and dysautonomia, disease of the system that regulates the body's involuntary processes.[2][13]
Treatment of panic attacks should be directed at the underlying cause.[7] In those with frequent attacks, counseling or medications may be used, as both preventative and abortive measures, ones that stop the attack while it is happening.[5] Breathing training and muscle relaxation techniques may also be useful.[14]
Panic attacks often appear frightening to both those experiencing and those witnessing them, and often, people tend to think they are having heart attacks due to the symptoms.[15] However, they do not cause any real physical harm.
Previous studies have suggested that those who suffer from anxiety-related disorders (e.g., panic disorder) are at higher risk of suicide.[16]
In Europe, approximately 3% of the population has a panic attack in a given year, while in the United States, they affect about 11%.[2] Panic attacks are more prevalent in females than males and often begin during puberty or early adulthood.[2] Children and older adults are less commonly affected.[2]
^ ab"Anxiety Disorders". NIMH. March 2016. Archived from the original on 29 September 2016. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
^American Psychiatric Association, American Psychiatric Association. "Changes to the DSM-V to the DSM-V-TR"(PDF). Changes to the DSM V to DSM V-TR. Archived(PDF) from the original on 2 September 2018. Retrieved 22 March 2022.