Basic handout 1

PANIC ATTACKS

A panic attack is a discrete period of intense fear or discomfort, in which four (or more) of the following symptoms developed abruptly and reached a peak within 10 minutes:

•	palpitations, pounding heart, or accelerated heart rate ·	sweating •	trembling or shaking •	sensations of shortness of breath or smothering •	feeling of choking •	chest pain or discomfort •	nausea or abdominal distress •	feeling dizzy, unsteady, lightheaded, or faint •	derealization (feelings of unreality) or depersonalization (being detached from oneself) •	fear of losing control or going crazy •	fear of dying •	paresthesias (numbness or tingling sensations) •	chills or hot flushes

References: American Psychiatric Association. (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, fourth edition. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.

National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Mental Health, NIH Publication No. 95-3879 (1995)