Panic attacks can hit you anytime, anywhere. Suddenly, you are swamped by symptoms such as rapid heart pounding, difficulty in breathing, dizziness, etc. You are overwhelmed by fear and you feel like you are going to die right then and there. Left untreated, sufferers can develop unhealthy and irrational fear that may cause them to avoid normal daily activities or social events. But panic attack is one of the most treatable condition, and with the proper treatment, you can reduce or completely eliminate panic attacks and regain control of your life.

As mentioned previously, most panic attack sufferers will develop certain level of irrational fear and avoidance. For example, they may have a panic attack when they are in a crowded area and they start to develop a phobia toward social gatherings. Even if you do not develop these phobias, panic attack sufferers will display a common symptom - the persistent fear of having another panic attack.

This fear of having another panic attacks is the main culprit and source of all your problems. Thus, the best treatments for panic attacks should be targeted at eliminating this fear and it can be done with cognitive and behavioral therapies.

For example, sufferers may have this nagging worry that their panic attacks cause them to "go crazy" or worse, induce a heart attack. The "cognitive" aspect would come into play here as it can help sufferers to replace those thoughts will a more positive and realistic way of viewing panic attacks.

The "behavioral" aspect would focus more on exposure to the physical sensations of a panic attack and learning the appropriate coping method. With each exposure, sufferers become less afraid of these internal bodily sensations and feel a greater sense of control over their panic reaction.

Fortunately, this type of treatment is largely informational and you can even do them on your own.