Panic attacks are usually abrupt and intense. They can occur at any time of the day or night, and can last from a few seconds up to half an hour. To the panic sufferer, it often feels as though they are much longer. A person having a panic attacks often believes that he or she is experiencing a heart attack or a stroke. Food allergies and hypoglycemia are both common among people with this disorder, and can promote panic attacks.
Some attacks occur with no apparent cause.
The unpredictability of the attacks makes them even more distressing. Many people with acute anxiety disorder become fearful of being alone and of visiting public places because they fear having a panic attack. Of course, this only adds to the level of anxiety and leads to their lives being abnormally restricted. For years, panic attacks were dismissed as a psychosomatic phenomenon. However, repeated studies have shown that this disorder has a real, physical basis.