Panic is acute, short-lived, extreme anxiety with accompanying physical symptoms. Panic attacks cause such symptoms as chest pain, choking, sweating dizziness, nausea and shortness of breathing, fear of going crazy or of losing control, trembling or shaking, detachment from environment. However, panic attacks differ from panic disorders. Panic disorder is diagnosed when people experience at least two unprovoked and unexpected panic attacks. The frequency of attacks can vary greatly. Some people have weekly or even daily attacks that occur for months, whereas others have several daily attacks followed by weeks or months without attacks. When people experience them as part of panic disorder, frequently anticipate and worry about another attack—a condition called anticipatory anxiety.

Do you have an anxiety disorder?

If you identify with several of the following signs and symptoms, you may be suffering from an anxiety disorder.

1. Are you constantly tense, worried, or on edge?
2. Are you plagued by fears that you know are irrational, but can’t shake?
3. Do you believe that something bad will happen if certain things aren’t done a certain way? 
4.  Do you avoid everyday situations or activities because they make you anxious?

The more conventional treatments for panic and anxiety disorders include a wide variety of medications. Medication may be used in the short-term to relieve severe anxiety symptoms so that other forms of therapy can be pursued. Drugs that are used to treat panic and anxiety disorder include antidepressants and anti-anxiety drugs such as benzodiazepines. Most types of anti-depressants, monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), and serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs)—are effective.

When a drug is effective, it prevents or greatly reduces the number of panic and anxiety attacks. A drug may have to be taken for a long time because panic and anxiety attacks often return once the drug is stopped. The next step is to consult with a therapist who has experience treating anxiety disorders. The therapist will work with you to determine the cause and type of your anxiety disorder and devise a course of treatment. People with panic and anxiety disorder are more receptive to treatment if they understand that the disorder involves both physical and psychological processes and that treatment must address both.

 Drug therapy and treatment for panic and anxiety disorders can only help you reduce symptoms and take back control of your life, not a cure from this bothersome condition.