From the Guidelines
Panic attacks typically last between 5 to 20 minutes, with symptoms usually peaking within 10 minutes. When diagnosing a panic attack, a general practitioner should look for other symptoms, such as trembling, dizziness, de-realization, paresthesias and chills or hot flushes 1. The duration of a panic attack can vary, but it usually builds to a peak and then subsides. Some key points to consider when dealing with panic attacks include:
- The sudden onset of symptoms
- The presence of other symptoms like trembling and dizziness
- The use of focused breathing techniques to manage symptoms
- The importance of grounding techniques to reduce panic symptoms
- The fact that panic attacks are not dangerous and will subside on their own
- The availability of treatments like cognitive behavioral therapy and medications for recurrent panic attacks. In terms of management, a general practitioner can play a crucial role in diagnosing and treating panic attacks, and referral to a specialist may be necessary in some cases 1.
From the FDA Drug Label
Panic disorder (DSM-IV) is characterized by recurrent unexpected panic attacks, i.e., a discrete period of intense fear or discomfort in which four (or more) of the following symptoms develop abruptly and reach a peak within 10 minutes
The duration of a panic attack is a discrete period where symptoms reach a peak within 10 minutes 2.
- The attack is characterized by intense fear or discomfort.
- Symptoms develop abruptly and peak within 10 minutes.
From the Research
Duration of a Panic Attack
- The duration of a panic attack usually lasts minutes, but sometimes longer 3
- A panic attack is a discrete period of fear or anxiety that has a rapid onset and reaches a peak within 10 minutes 4, 5
- Panic disorder is characterised by recurrent unexpected panic attacks consisting of a wave of intense fear that reaches a peak within a few minutes 6
Characteristics of a Panic Attack
- Symptoms of panic attack can be found in both medical disease and mental disorder 3
- At least 4 of 13 diagnostic symptoms need to be present to constitute an attack which onset is sudden and unpredictable 3
- The main symptoms involve bodily systems, such as racing heart, chest pain, sweating, shaking, dizziness, flushing, churning stomach, faintness and breathlessness 4, 5
- Other recognised panic attack symptoms involve fearful cognitions, such as the fear of collapse, going mad or dying, and derealisation (the sensation that the world is unreal) 5