An acute feeling of intense fear, accentuated by increased heart rate, shortness of breath, sweating, and mild convulsions.

Feelings of fear and panic are common to all species, and humans are certainly no exception. Psychologically speaking, however, panic can be an obtrusive, life-altering phenomena for many people who suffer panic attacks. Such attacks occur commonly in people suffering from various phobias. People suffering from agoraphobia, for instance, can expect to suffer panic attacks when out in public. While panic attacks are generally short-lived, their recurrence and the severity of the physical symptoms that accompany them can lead people to fear them so intensely that they develop a more severe condition known as anxiety disorder.

Panic attacks usually originate as realistic responses to fearful or stressful...