Panic attacks are characterized by a short periods of intense, sometimes debilitating, extreme fear. The onset of these episodes is typcially abrupt, and may have no obvious trigger. Although these episodes may appear random, they are, in fact, a subset of an evolutionary response commonly referred to as fight or flight that occur out of context.
A panic attack is a sympathetic nervous system reaction, process and function. The most common symptoms may include: trembling, shortness of breath, heart palpitations, chest pain (or chest tightness), sweating, nausea, dizziness (or slight vertigo), light-headedness, hyperventilation, paresthesias (tingling sensations), and sensations of choking, smothering and severe derealization (dreamlike and disconnected sensations). Despite the multitude of symptoms and the afflicted's fears a panic attack presents absolutely no danger whatsoever. During a panic attack, the body typically releases large amounts of adrenaline into the bloodstream. First time panic attacks are usually one of the worst experiences of a person's life. Typically, first time sufferers of a panic attack truly believe they are dying, going insane or having a heart attack. Repeated and seemingly unprovoked panic attacks may be a sign of Panic Disorder, but panic attacks are associated with other anxiety disorders as well. For example, people who suffer from phobias may experience panic attacks upon exposure to certain triggers.
People with Panic Disorder often can be successfully treated with therapy, particularly Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and/or anti-anxiety medication or antidepressants. Panic attacks can be caused by very common problems such as low blood sugar hypoglycemia, hyperthyroidism or the overuse of caffeine or nicotine.
Almost all sufferers of panic attacks report a fear of dying, "going crazy", having a heart attack, fainting, vomiting, or losing control of emotions or behavior. These feelings generally provoke a strong urge to escape or flee the place where the attack began ("fight or flight" reaction) and, when associated with chest pain or shortness of breath frequently result in the sufferer seeking medical attention, often in an emergency room. Panic attacks have been linked to high quantities of acetylcholinesterase in the blood. Also the release of adreno-cortisols aid in catalyzing the panic attacks.
Because a panic attack is such an uncomfortable experience, a person learns to be hypervigilant to or oversensitive to even the smallest internal sensations (e.g., change in heart rate), including those triggered by medication changes or cardiac or other medical problems. A vicious cycle can begin. When a person notices an internal sensation, their sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activates, creating more sensations, more SNS arousal, causing a positive feedback loop that sometimes culminates in a panic attack. This is analogous to holding a microphone next to a loudspeaker. An initial signal is picked up by the microphone, amplified by the system, coming out the loudspeaker with more intensity, getting further amplified by the system. This cascade of physiological and cognitive events reinforces the learning that certain internal sensations, and the situation or circumstances around which the sensations occurred are something to be feared.
The panic attack is distinguished from other forms of anxiety by its intensity and its sudden, episodic nature. Panic attacks are often experienced by sufferers of anxiety disorders and other psychological conditions involving anxiety, though panic attacks are not always indicative of a mental disorder, nor are they uncommon. In fact, some sufferers are not under any "fear" or any psychological illness but are under extreme amounts of stress and anxiety resulting in a panic attack or an anxiety attack. Up to 10 percent of otherwise healthy people experience an isolated panic attack about once per year, and 1 in 60 people in the U.S. will suffer from a panic disorder at some point in their lifetime.
When the sufferer experiences four or more bodily symptoms at once it is said that they have had a full-blown panic attack, while experiencing less than 4 symptoms constitutes a limited symptom attack
DURATION
A panic attack typically lasts ten minutes according to the American Psychological Association. However, panic attacks can be short lived, 1-5 minutes as well. More severe panic attacks may form a series of episodes waxing and waning every few minutes, lasting for a period of up to two hours, only to be ended by physical exhaustion and sleep.[citation needed]
In conditions of chronic anxiety, one panic attack can roll into another, leading to nervous exhaustion over a period of hours or even days
TRIGGER
People with phobias will often experience panic attacks as a direct result of exposure to their trigger. Other triggers include physical activity, pain, feeling of having no control, stress, disagreements, and fear of failure.
Hypoglycemia can cause panic attacks. The adrenaline released during an attack increases blood sugar. It is the way the body copes with lack of sugars.
Hyperventilation alone can bring about some of the symptoms of a panic attack. However, the person experiencing the panic attack often does not realize this and sees these symptoms as further evidence of how serious their condition is. An ensuing positive feedback loop of adrenaline release fuels worsening physical symptoms and psychological distress.
Panic disorder has been found to run in families, and this may mean that inheritance genes plays a strong role in determining who will get it. However, many people who have no family history of the disorder develop it. Often the first attacks are triggered by physical illnesses, a major life stress, important life transitions, a significant personal loss or certain medications. [1]
Sometimes panic attacks may be a listed side effect of medications such as Ritalin (methylphenidate). It may be a temporary side effect only occurring when a patient first starts a medication, or could continue occurring even after the patient is accustomed to the drug, which likely would warrant a medication change in either dosage, or type of drug.
If a common activity that produces stress or feelings of anxiety is repeated, it is possible to cause a panic attack for those that suffer from them.
PHYSIOLOGICAL EXPLANATION
The various symptoms of a panic attack can be understood as follows. First, there is frequently (but not always) the sudden onset of fear with little provoking stimulus. This leads to a release of adrenaline (epinephrine) which brings about the so-called fight-or-flight response wherein the person's body prepares for strenuous physical activity. This leads to an increased heart rate (tachycardia), rapid breathing (hyperventilation), and sweating (which increases grip and aids heat loss). Because strenuous activity rarely ensues, the hyperventilation leads to a drop in carbon dioxide levels in the lungs and then in the blood. This leads to shifts in blood pH which in turn can lead to many other symptoms, such as tingling or numbness, dizziness, burning and lightheadedness. Moreover, the release of adrenaline during a panic attack causes vasoconstriction resulting in slightly less blood flow to the head which causes dizziness and light-headeness. It is also possible for the person experiencing such an attack to feel as though they are unable to catch their breath, and they begin to take deeper breaths, which also acts to decrease carbon dioxide levels in the blood.
Symptoms
Physical
- Sweating
- Shortness of breath (dyspnea)
- Racing or pounding heartbeat or palpitations
- Chest pain
- Dizziness or vertigo
- Lightheadedness
- Nausea / stomach pains
- Hyperventilation
- Choking or smothering sensations
- Uncontrollable itching
- Tingling or numbness in the hands, face, feet or mouth (paresthesia)
- Hot/cold flashes
- Trembling or shaking
- feeling of claustrophobia
- Exhaustion
- Feeling of physical Weakness or limpness of the body
Mental
- Loss of the ability to react logically to stimuli
- Loss of cognitive ability in general
- Racing thoughts (often based on fear; a repeated or illogical worry)
- Loud internal dialogue
- Feeling of impending doom
- Feeling of "going crazy"
- Extreme worried feeling
- Feeling of extreme nervousness
Emotional
- Terror, or a sense that something unimaginably horrible is about to occur and one is powerless to prevent it
- Fear that the panic is a symptom of a serious illness
- Fear of losing control
- Fear of death
- Fear of going crazy
- Flashbacks to earlier panic trigger
Perceptual
- Tunnel vision
- Heightened senses
- The apparent slowing down or speeding up of time
- Dream-like sensation or perceptual distortion (derealization)
- Dissociation, or the perception that one is not connected to the body or is disconnected from space and time (depersonalization)
Sluttish, bitchy look
The"act cute" pose!
This is way too sweet to be me. 
The 26 years old acting like 21 years old pic
Those were the days. "Miss" you. 
