The suddenness of these symptoms and their recurrence without warning and in the absence of any immediate clear cut cause make these attacks different from otherwise normal responses to stress and anxiety. As time passes, the affected person will often experience more symptoms and the intensity of the attack will be more severe. As these attacks persist, he or she is often at a loss to explain the attacks or identify any immediate causes for them. The person may interpret these symptoms, therefore, as a manifestation of some exotic medical illness. They will often go to many doctors trying to find an explanation for their symptoms and are often labeled hypochondriacs.
Some affected individuals have symptoms that only appear in response to a major stress.
The symptoms will often resolve after the stress has passed without any drug treatment. However, in many affected individuals, the best way to control the biological cause of this illness is with an anti-panic medication. There are several classes of medication used, but they basically fall in two categories. The other class of medications is the anti-depressants. Both of these groups of medications are effective.