It can feel like you’re having a heart attack: Your chest tightens, you have trouble catching your breath and nausea starts to take over. You might feel shaky or disoriented. Something’s wrong — and the more you think about it, the worse the feeling becomes.
Each year, around 11 percent of Americans report having a panic attack, a sudden attack of fear that results in physical symptoms. Those who regularly experience them may also have a panic disorder, which includes the fear of having a panic attack and the resulting loss of control.
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But while panic attacks may seem unexpected, says Kevin Chapman, director of the Kentucky Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders, you can predict them. “One of the myths with panic attacks is that they occur ‘out of the blue.’ For the majority of people with ...
