Panic Attacks - What Are They?

One of the first questions on peoples mind when they hear about someone having an anxiety or panic attack is, what exactly is a panic attack? Here's a quick look at what they are and why they occur.

In basic terms, a panic attack is a sudden and intense fear from physical or psychological symptoms. The number one symptom is anxiety and is generally thought to be connected to the fight/flight response. This is the adrenaline rush you feel when suddenly faced with a dangerous situation.

That's fine, but it doesn't tell us why people have anxiety attacks or panic situations when no danger is even present. The explanation for that is a bit more complex.

Panic attacks also vary in intensity from person to person. Some may even grow accustomed to the symptoms and feelings from the attacks, while others have a difficult time with the symptoms. It can become so severe that it becomes an anxiety disorder known as agoraphobia.

Generally, what happens with people who have such harder times with panic attack symptoms is that they can't control the negative thoughts. It may start out small and quickly become massive fear and anxiety that leads to a much more severe attack.

This makes recognizing panic attack symptoms extremely important. Once you find that the symptoms are not due to some other mental or physical health issue, and due strictly to panic situations, and then you can begin to work on ways to reduce or even eliminate them.

There is no question that a panic attack can be one of the most frightening events in your life. I know this firsthand. You can feel like you are having a heart attack, going crazy, and in some cases, like you are dying. It can be difficult for others who have never went through such a traumatic event to fully understand.

The good news is that there are programs available that can help in this area. And they can help without the need to take medication. Panic Away is a good example of such a program. They have a wonderful technique called "One Move" that not only shows you the real reasons behind panic attacks, but how you can control and eliminate panic attack symptoms. It's well worth looking into.