A panic attack is not a panic disorder

Panic disorder is a type of anxiety disorder causing repeated **panic
attacks** — sudden periods of intense fear, discomfort, or a sense of losing
control, happening even though there is no real danger.

They often produce physical symptoms. A rapid or pounding heartbeat can feel
exactly like a heart attack, which is why panic attacks so often end in an
emergency department.

The distinction that matters

**Having panic attacks does not mean you will develop panic disorder. Many
people have only one or two in their lifetime and get better without
treatment.**

What turns attacks into a disorder is repetition — which can be several
times a day or as rarely as a few times a year — plus the second component:

People with panic disorder often worry about having another attack, and
that worry leads them to **avoid the places and situations where attacks
happened before.**

The avoidance is what shrinks a life, and it is driven by anticipation rather
than by the attacks themselves.

Panic disorder is not life-threatening, but it is distressing and affects
quality of life — and **untreated it can lead to other conditions, including
depression and substance use disorders.**

What a panic attack feels like

• Overwhelming anxiety and fear, sudden and without warning
• A feeling of being out of control, or a fear of death
• Physical symptoms: **pounding or racing heart, sweating or chills, trembling
  or shaking, trouble breathing, a feeling of choking, weakness or dizziness,
  chest pain, stomach pain or nausea**

They can last from a few minutes to over an hour.

Cause and risk

The cause is unknown. Factors thought to play a role: genetics — it
sometimes runs in families, though nobody knows why some family members have
it and others do not — brain biology and chemistry, environment, and
major stress.

It is more common in women, usually **starts in the late teens or early
adulthood**, sometimes begins during a period of heavy stress, and is more
likely in people who have experienced trauma, especially in childhood.

Diagnosis

A provider will ask about medical history and symptoms, and **check whether an
unrelated physical problem is causing them** — a physical exam, **blood tests
for thyroid problems** and other conditions, and heart health tests.

That step is not scepticism. A racing heart and chest pain have physical
causes that have to be excluded before the diagnosis can be made at all.

Source: MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine.