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Panic attacks are periods of intense fear or apprehension of sudden onset accompanied by at least four or more bodily or cognitive symptoms (such as heart palpitations, dizziness, shortness of breath, or feelings of unreality) and of variable duration from minutes to hours. Panic attacks usually begin abruptly and may reach a peak within 10 to 20 minutes but may continue for hours in some cases.〔〔 Panic attacks are not dangerous and should not cause any physical harm.〔November 12, 2013. (What is a panic attack? ) National Health Service. Retrieved: 4 February 2015.〕 The effects of a panic attack vary. Some, notably first-time sufferers, may call for emergency services. Many who experience a panic attack, mostly for the first time, fear that they are having a heart attack or a nervous breakdown. Common psychological features associated with panic attacks include the fear of impending death or loss of sanity, and depersonalisation is relatively common. Panic attacks are of acute onset, and acute debilitation (generally severe) may be followed by a period of residually impaired psychological functioning. Repeated panic attacks are considered a symptom of panic disorder.〔(DSM-TR diagnostic criteria for panic disorder )〕 Screening tools such as the Panic Disorder Severity Scale can be used to detect possible cases of disorder and suggest the need for a formal diagnostic assessment. ==Signs and symptoms== Sufferers of panic attacks often report a fear of dying or heart attack, flashing vision, faintness or nausea, numbness throughout the body, heavy breathing and hyperventilation, or loss of bodily control. Some people also suffer from tunnel vision, mostly due to blood flow leaving the head to more critical parts of the body in defense. These feelings may provoke a strong urge to escape or flee the place where the attack began (a consequence of the "fight-or-flight response", in which the hormone causing this response is released in significant amounts). This response floods the body with hormones, particularly epinephrine (adrenaline), which aid it in defending against harm.〔Bourne, E. (2005). ''The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook'', 4th Edition: New Harbinger Press.〕 A panic attack is a response of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS). The most common symptoms include trembling, dyspnea (shortness of breath), heart palpitations, chest pain (or chest tightness), hot flashes, cold flashes, burning sensations (particularly in the facial or neck area), sweating, nausea, dizziness (or slight vertigo), light-headedness, hyperventilation, paresthesias (tingling sensations), sensations of choking or smothering, difficulty moving, and derealization. These physical symptoms are interpreted with alarm in people prone to panic attacks. This results in increased anxiety and forms a positive feedback loop. Often, the onset of shortness of breath and chest pain are the predominant symptoms; the sufferer incorrectly appraises these as signs or symptoms of a heart attack. This can result in the person who is experiencing a panic attack seeking treatment in an emergency room. However, since chest pain and shortness of breath are indeed hallmark symptoms of cardiovascular illnesses, including unstable angina and myocardial infarction (heart attack), especially in a person whose mental health status and heart health status are not known, attributing these pains to simple anxiety and not (also) a physical condition is a diagnosis of exclusion (other conditions must be ruled out first) until an electrocardiogram and a mental health assessment have been carried out. Panic attacks are distinguished from other forms of anxiety by their intensity and their sudden, episodic nature.〔 They are often experienced in conjunction with anxiety disorders and other psychological conditions, although panic attacks are not necessarily indicative of a mental disorder. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「panic attack」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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