A panic attack is an anxiety disorder brought about by excessive fear of a thing, a person, a place or a situation. This causes a person suffering from it to develop a phobia which involves irrational fear. Usually, the phobia associated with panic attacks is the agoraphobia, which is the fear of public places. This phobia develops usually after a person has experienced his first panic attack. When a person experiences a panic attack, his behavior becomes uncontrollable and he loses control of himself. The person worries excessively, that a panic attack is going to happen again so he refuses to go out of the house or somewhere he thinks is unsafe. A panic attack causes embarrassment and this is what a person avoids - being humiliated in front of many people.

Another kind of phobia linked to panic attacks is the claustrophobia, which is the fear of small and enclosed spaces. In the elevator for example, the person may feel that something bad is going to happen so he panics and does everything to get out of the elevator. Panic attacks have to be treated correctly as they are a very disturbing problem. To help the person with his treatment, there is an anxiety support group to make the treatment as fast as possible.

In panic attacks, the person hyperventilates and experiences chest pains. There are also symptoms such as shortness of breath and nausea. Headaches arise too because when a person feels fear, his heart beats faster, pumping more blood into the circulatory system. Hence, the blood pressure increases, making the blood vessels dilate. Blood then accumulates in the head causing headaches. The person suffering from panic attacks also thinks irrationally and behaves uncontrollably. In some people, a panic attack can make them feel that they are going to die. These cases are worse and they require immediate treatment.

First and foremost, the psychologist or the person himself can identify what causes him to feel such an intense fear. Then, he should work on convincing himself that there is nothing fearful in a specific object or place and that he will not get harmed by someone or something. Being part of an anxiety support group would provide the person an opportunity to interact with other panic attack sufferers and those who have already recovered from the disorder. This will enable him to get more insight on how to cure his problem.

Panic attacks are largely a mind-over-matter thing and in order to relieve himself of this, he should see to it that he thinks clearly. His mind should be free from clutter and other unnecessary things or memories. With this, he will have the ability to think much more clearly and make reasonable decisions. Psychologists can offer treatment along with the aid of an anxiety support group where a person can discuss anxiety problems without feeling shy about it. He can also talk about this problem with his family and friends and they can potentially offer help and support.