A panic attack can feel like it comes out of the clear blue — a wave of terror with a pounding heart, a sense that things aren’t real, and a fear of losing control. If you’ve lived through this, you know how frightening it is. You are not losing your mind, and you are not alone. Panic disorder is real, it is understood, and it responds well to treatment.
What panic disorder is
People with panic disorder have episodes of intense fear that strike suddenly and repeatedly, with no warning. Because the attacks are unpredictable, many people develop a lingering worry between episodes — a dread that another one could come at any moment. During an attack the body reacts as if in real danger, even though there is no outward threat. Most attacks peak within a few minutes, though they can occasionally last longer.
Left unaddressed, panic can start to shrink a person’s world. If an attack happens in a certain place, someone may begin avoiding that place, then others — sometimes to the point of avoiding everyday activities. Early treatment can stop panic from taking over in this way.
What a panic attack can feel like
- Pounding heart or chest pain
- Shortness of breath, or a feeling of smothering or choking
- Light-headedness, dizziness, or nausea
- Tingling, numbness, sweating, chills, or trembling
- A sense of unreality, or of being out of control
- A fear of dying or of “going crazy”
Who it affects
Panic disorder affects a meaningful share of the population and is about twice as common in women as in men. It can begin at any age but most often starts in young adulthood. Not everyone who has a panic attack goes on to develop the disorder — but for those who do, treatment makes a real difference.
How panic disorder is treated
Proper treatment — cognitive-behavioral therapy, medication, or a combination — helps the large majority of people, often with real improvement within a couple of months. Therapy teaches you to see panic differently and to calm your body with tools like breathing techniques and refocusing your attention. Exposure therapy, done slowly and with support, can ease the avoidance that panic creates. For some people, medication also helps prevent attacks or reduce how often and how intensely they occur. The right plan is a conversation between you and your clinician.