A panic attack is an exaggeration of the body’s normal response to fear,
stress or excitement. It is the rapid build-up of overwhelming sensations,
such as a pounding heartbeat, feeling faint, sweating, nausea, chest
pains, breathing discomfort, feelings of losing control, shaky limbs and
legs turning to jelly. If you experience this, you may fear that you are
going mad, blacking out, or having a heart attack. You may be convinced
you are going to die in the course of the attack – making this a terrifying
experience.
Panic attacks come on very quickly, symptoms usually peaking within 10
minutes. Most panic attacks last for between 5 and 20 minutes. Some
people report attacks lasting for up to an hour, but they are likely to be
experiencing one attack after another, or a high level of anxiety after
the initial attack. You may have one or two panic attacks and never
experience another. Or you may have attacks once a month or several
times each week. For some people they seem to come without warning
and strike at random.