Panic attack can come completely unexpected and strike you without any prior warning. Suddenly, your are struck by various terrible and frightening symptoms and you may even have the notion that you are suffering from a heart attack and your death is imminent. Some of the most common panic attack symptom can include:

-Heart "racing"

-Feeling weak and dizzy

-Numbness in limbs

-Irrational fear and feeling of doom

-Difficulty in breathing

-Feel that you are losing control and going "crazy"

Generally, episodes of panic attack are very brief, lasting no more than 10 minutes. The symptom of ill-feelings however, can linger and persist for long durations. More importantly, after their first panic attack, a person can be so traumatize by the experience that they continue to suffer from repeated panic attack. When that happens, the condition becomes a panic disorder.

Panic disorder can be very frightening and disabling as the person cannot predict when or when the next panic attack will occur. This can have a severe effect on their psyche as they start avoiding situation which they "think" or "know" might trigger their panic attack. They may even avoid going out completely and become house-bound as they feel unsafe going to the outside world.

Luckily, panic attack is one of the most treatable conditions and it is definitely possible for a person to recover completely. The route to recovery however, may be a long uphill struggle and it very well take months or even years to recover completely.

The rewards are well worth the effort but the person MUST be prepared to work at the problem and accept help.