A possible definition of a panic attack is an overwhelming severe flow of fear and anxiety.  Many times the fear or anxiety can be seen as irrational in that the person is in no real danger when the fear arises. The person may be safe but the fear rises to the point where they feel like death is just around the corner.

For each person having a panic attack, the symptoms can be extremely different. The symptoms may feel like a heart attack and the person may be lead to think it is a heart attack. The persons breathing may become shallow which causes the throat to constrict. Their heart may begin racing, they may feel nauseous, lightheaded, their breathing may change and they may experience a range of other symptoms,.

Panic attakcs are a horrible experience however medical experts say panic attacks are not serious. It is wise to see a medical expert who will rule out any other conditions. The reason being is there are conditions like medical withdrawal, mitral valve prolapse and others that have the exact same symptoms. So it is best to find out before starting any form of treatment.

Another definition of a panic attack may be a sudden intense feeling of fear with fight or flight symptoms being experienced. The fight or flight response is an ancient inbuilt system that prepares the body to fight or run. Many hundreds of years ago this system helped us ward of danger and other nasties. Instead normal fears have turned to irrational ones. They range from fear of rejection, fear of failure, fear of success. These fears have no real danger but they indeed cause the fight or flight response to activate.

Another potential definition of a panic attack is a sudden overwhelming feeling of unbearable anxiety or fear. We usually label feelings good or bad and associate them with pain or pleasure. Many times with fear we tend not to want to feel it. We then develop a fear of the fear.

With panic attacks a person may avoid things, withdraw and it could also lead to many other disorders.

Panic attacks and the symptoms tend to affect your daily life so it is best to seek some form of treatment. What course of treatment will depend on the individual person? There are numerous treatments from normal medical treatments to cognitive therapy, hypnosis, alternate therapies and many more.

Although panic attacks have no known cause many believe it is related to the fight or flight response in the human body.

Another reasons may be thorugh stress, certain medical conditions, life experience, trauma and other such things.

There are certain things you can do like avoiding caffeine in particular coffee, getting plenty of rest, trying relaxation techniques, acupuncture, healthy diet, avoid sugars, aromatherapy plus many others.
Remember panic attacks are treatable, you can be free of them.