Anxiety and panic attacks are severe mental agitations that can cause people to act beyond the rational and acceptable manner. Panic attacks heighten the feelings of fear and apprehension, along with several other bodily reactions that can cause people to worry that they may be suffering from some sort of sudden physical deterioration. Panic attack is also called as the extreme representation of heightened anxiety. Anxiety and panic are interlinked and one must understand the meaning of each term to identify the linkage. Anxiety is the state of mind that fears failure or embarrassment during situations that are unforeseen or are difficult. Sometimes, people can visualize these circumstances, even before they occur and start feeling the tension and fear. This can induce body reactions too. People can feel their heartbeat increasing, they sweat a lot, their throat feels parched, etc. These physical and biological reactions are the body’s way to prepare itself for an immediate and strenuous exercise. Anxiety is common in people. People can get anxious for various reasons. They also react to anxiety differently. Some people channelize the anxiety and try to identify the source of this attack and rectify it or prepare for it. Some other are completely overwhelmed by anxiety and do not know how to react or overcome it.

Heightened state of anxiety can induce panic attack. This is an extreme reaction to real or perceived difficult situations and also danger. People under panic attack, lose the ability to think rationally and act in an irrational manner. They try to get away from the location of the panic attack under the false impression that it might help them overcome the attack. This urge to run away can also be partly due to the fact that the body is already prepared for either “Fight” or “Flight”. Panic attacks are not as common as anxiety attacks and upon onset, can cause severe mental trauma to the people. Panic can also be induced by a sudden onset of real or perceived danger, even if the people are not prone to anxiety symptoms. Chances of panic attacks in people suffering from anxiety disorders are more, while other people are at a less risk. Panic attacks are of short duration but cause considerable mental damage in the process. People suffering from frequent panic attacks are also vulnerable to heart and nervous system ailments. Anxiety and panic attacks are interrelated and all types of people are prone to them. They cannot be prevented but the intensity of these attacks can be reduced with adequate preparation.