A panic attack is an intense, rapidly-developing state of anxiety that usually involves such marked bodily changes that panic-attack sufferers often go to emergency rooms fearing they are having a medical emergency. They may fear they are having a heart attack, a nervous breakdown or even dying.
I think of a panic attack as being partly a false alarm of the "fight-or-flight" response of the autonomic nervous system. This is a set of responses such as elevated heart rate, respiration and muscle tension that would be adaptive for an animal needing to fight or escape from a physical threat. But most of the time a panic attack occurs in the absence of a physical threat, often in the absence of any consciously-perceived threat at all.
Panic attacks may occur in someone with any of several anxiety disorders or with depression. When they repeatedly occur unexpectedly and lead to fear of having further panic attacks and/or maladaptive behaviors to prevent further attacks, a person may have a Panic Disorder. Often individuals with Panic Disorder become afraid of being in some types of public places or of even leaving their homes, and this may develop into Agoraphobia.
Panic Disorder can be effectively treated with Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Some psychiatric medications can be helpful, but only for as long as they are taken. CBT has the advantages of not creating medical side effects and of providing behavioral tools and change that can endure even after the end of the treatment. I often teach clients with panic attacks a relaxation procedure developed by psychologist David Barlow, PhD, a leading researcher on the treatment of anxiety disorders. Some clients who suffered panic attacks for years have found that the attacks virtually ended when they practiced this relaxation technique. But typically it is also helpful for panic attack sufferers to learn to identify what triggers their panic attacks and to change their thinking and behavior regarding the panic attacks.
Feel free to contact me if you wish to consider getting some help for panic attacks or other manifestations of anxiety.