Panic attacks, sometimes also known as anxiety attacks, can also occur in  other anxiety disorders such as phobias, in which case the more specific diagnosis is probably not actually panic disorder. Panic attacks can often  result in a significant disruption of normal activities and behavior because of  their disruptive nature.  Sometimes, the person who has experienced the attack  will visit the emergency room at the hospital because they are convinced that  they are having a medical emergency. In reality, many of the symptoms of a panic  attack can be very similar to the symptoms that precede a heart attack or  cardiac arrest, depending on the severity of it.

Various medical studies have shown that panic attacks seem to occur when the  brain’s normal mechanism for reacting to fear or a threat becomes inappropriately aroused. They are triggered by stimulation of areas in the brain  stem that control the release of adrenalin. Panic attacks are frequently  experienced by sufferers of anxiety disorders and other psychological conditions  involving anxiety, though panic attacks are not always a sign of a mental  disorder, nor are they uncommon. In fact, some sufferers are not under any fear  or any psychological illness but are under intense amounts of stress and anxiety  resulting in a panic attack or an anxiety attack.

Panic attacks are not limited to the syndrome known as panic disorder. They  commonly occur in the course of social phobia, generalized anxiety disorder, and  major depressive disorder. Panic attack symptoms are sometimes mistaken for a  heart attack in more severe cases because of the similarity of the symptoms.  Panic attacks usually produce a sense of unreality, a fear of impending doom, or  a fear of losing control. One of the most common characteristics of a panic  attack is that the fear or threat may be indeed real, whereas the counterpart  anxiety attack is usually very similar but is a reaction to conditions that do  not warrant the extreme reaction.

Panic attacks may also be accompanied by a rapid or irregular heartbeat,  sweating, hot flashes, chills, chest pain, difficulty breathing, shaking,  dizziness and a feeling that you might die. About one out of every ten  post-menopausal women have had at least one panic attack or are prone to anxiety  attacks which are very similar.

Panic attacks can be treated. The person who is prone to suffering from these  should be aware of how much caffeine that they take in, since large amounts of  caffeine have been known to trigger attacks without warning.  People afflicted  with panic attacks should also be sure to get proper amounts of restful sleep  every night. Panic attacks reach utmost intensity within a minute or two once  they begin. It is common for the first attack to make a person to go to an emergency clinical facility.

Panic attacks can be controlled, and for many people eliminated with some  work and effort. It is a very uncomfortable feeling for the person going through  it, but such a person can find great relief in finding the mechanisms that will  allow them to control and even eliminate their tendency for panic attacks and  anxiety attacks.