Knowra Panic attack Panic attack A sudden episode of intense fear or discomfort that peaks within minutes and includes physical or cognitive symptoms, such as palpitations or fear of losing control.
Fight-or-flight response : The body’s rapid set of physiological changes that prepare it to respond to perceived danger. Its activation can produce the racing heart, sweating, and breathlessness experienced during an attack.
Anxiety : A state of apprehension or worry about possible future threat. Anxiety can persist between attacks, whereas a panic attack is a distinct surge.
Cognitive behavioral therapy : A structured psychotherapy that changes unhelpful patterns of thinking and behavior. It can address feared interpretations and avoidance associated with recurring attacks.
Generalized anxiety disorder : An anxiety disorder marked by excessive, persistent worry across multiple areas of life. Its ongoing worry differs from the brief, sharply peaking surge of a panic attack.
Interoception : The sensing and interpretation of signals arising inside the body. Heightened attention to bodily sensations can make ordinary changes feel alarming during an episode.
Fear : An emotional response to an immediate or perceived threat. Intense fear is central to many attacks, though some involve discomfort without a clear feeling of fear.
Interoceptive exposure : A therapy technique that deliberately evokes feared bodily sensations in a controlled setting. Practicing sensations such as a faster heartbeat can reduce fear of them.
Post-traumatic stress disorder : A disorder that can follow trauma and involve intrusive memories, avoidance, and heightened arousal. Trauma-related episodes may include panic symptoms but are tied to a different diagnostic pattern.
Hyperventilation : Breathing faster or deeper than the body’s metabolic needs, lowering carbon dioxide in the blood. It can cause dizziness and tingling that may amplify fear during an attack.
Palpitations : The subjective sensation that the heart is beating unusually fast, forcefully, or irregularly. This common attack symptom can also arise from causes unrelated to panic.
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