Panic attacks

Panic attack (or episodic paroxysmal anxiety) is a subtype of anxiety disorder, which refers to neurotic level disorders associated with stress. A panic attack is represented by a well-defined episode of intense anxiety or malaise, which comes on suddenly, reaches a maximum within a few minutes and lasts no more than 10 to 20 minutes, and also suddenly disappears. A panic attack can be either an independent disease or in the frame of any disorder. Panic attacks can occur not only in patients with mental illness but also in several other non-mental illnesses (rheumatic diseases, endocrine, and cardiovascular pathologies). Panic attacks are quite common in modern society. According to recent data, about 10 to 20 percent of the population suffers one or more panic attacks during their lifetime. This means that one in five people experiences a panic attack at least once in their life. This fact even served as a reason to attribute the panic attack, not to pathology, but a special type of human behavior. Today there are many theories of the origin of panic attacks. They affect both physiological and social links. However, the physiological processes occurring in the human body under the influence of stress factors are considered to be the root cause of a panic attack.