Panic attack is a serious condition that involves a sudden outburst of fear, anxiety and worry. It can strike people of all ages without any warning, the reason why it is crucial to get to know its symptoms. Knowing the panic attack symptoms makes it easier to address the condition and prevent it from worsening.

What’s really bothering about panic attacks is that its symptoms are often associated with an underlying medical problem. During the onset of the attack, the sufferer would usually feel shortness of breath, pounding heart and chest pain – symptoms that are common to a patient having a heart attack. This makes it harder for medical health experts to diagnose a patient with panic attack during the first consultation or appointment.

The symptoms of panic attacks are divided into two categories: the physical symptoms and the emotional symptoms. While the physical symptoms are the most noticeable during the time of the attack, the emotional symptoms tend to develop through time.

Physical Symptoms

Physical symptoms of panic attacks include racing heartbeat, palpitation, chest pain, difficulty breathing, hyperventilation, numbness, and tingling sensations. The patient can also experience nausea, vertigo, sweating, chills, hot flashes, shaking, and trembling.

As mentioned, the physical symptoms of panic attacks are often mistaken for another health problem. During its onset, panic attacks will always be overlooked as the cause of the physical symptoms, unless the possible medical causes have been ruled out by a medical expert.

Emotional Symptoms

The emotional symptoms, on the other hand, include excessive fear and anxiousness on something that the patient shouldn’t really feel fearful or anxious about. These include fear of going crazy, losing control and dying. The patient also worries too much about a serious illness that he or she doesn’t really have, and feels unreal and detached from the physical environment.

A patient who continuously suffers from this condition tends to develop the fear of having another bout of attack, and avoids places or situations that can trigger it. Known as agoraphobia, this is common to severe cases of panic attack. Oftentimes, an agoraphobic person would rather stay at home or at safety areas than risk places that he or she feels will cause an attack.

If the panic attack symptoms, whether physical or emotional, are not addressed immediately, this condition will develop into a more serious problem called panic disorder. It is always best that panic attack is addressed right away using the available treatment methods, such as therapy and antidepressant medications.