What Are The Symptoms Of A Panic Attack?

Panic attack symptoms can vary widely by the person, and contrary to their name, they often involve a lot more than panic alone. Fear, illness, pain, and many other problems can come along with the feelings of panic, leaving the person suffering the panic attack feeling completely helpless at times.

Some people who suffer from panic attacks have several of the following symptoms but not others, and it’s not uncommon to experience additional symptoms over time since panic attacks worsen if not treated.

The DSM IV, the manual of the American Psychiatric Association, states that panic attacks will commonly start with a time of extreme fear, which is then accompanied by a minimum of four of the symptoms that are listed below. All five symptoms must be present during this time.

In order for the panic attack to qualify as a medical panic attack, the symptoms will have reached their high point inside of ten minutes.

Panic Attack Symptoms

The typical effects of a panic attack include: A pounding heart, accelerated heart rate, Sweating or chills, becoming overheated, gasping for air or being unable to breathe, sensation of choking, chest tightening and discomfort, nausea, stomach pain, dizziness, feeling lightheaded, irrational fears of any kind, fear of going insane, fear of dying, and numbness or tingling sensations in the body.

Since the symptoms of a panic attack can frequently be completely overwhelming, these attacks can cause sufferers to be completely incapacitated at times. While treatment of panic attacks is very important, prevention of future attacks is also key.

Regardless of how severe panic attacks are, it is possible to get rid of them for good. A smart approach will involve a program using brain psychology such as Panic Away. Methods like the ones contained in that program can help you to understand the origins of attacks and stop them.

Those people who experience anxiety disorder say they would take what ever action is needed to avoid having the attacks happen. The problem is that they simply do not know how to prevent them. Severe anxiety may not cause major long term physical damage, but the mental damage can be intolerable. Get more information about actions you can take to stop anxiety.