A panic attack can feel like the worst medical emergency of your life. Your heart pounds, you cannot get a full breath, and you may be sure you are dying or losing control. Then it passes, and you are left shaken and afraid of the next one.
This article explains what a panic attack is, how long the sources say one lasts, how an attack differs from panic disorder, and which treatments have been studied. One point comes before all the others: chest pain or trouble breathing that is new, severe or unexplained is a reason to call 911.
What is a panic attack?
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) describes a panic attack as "a sudden wave of fear or discomfort or a sense of losing control even when there is no clear danger or trigger." The physical symptoms it lists are a pounding or racing heart, sweating, chills, trembling, difficulty breathing, weakness or dizziness, tingly or numb hands, chest pain, and stomach pain or nausea.
MedlinePlus says a panic attack begins suddenly. NIMH adds that attacks can occur at any time, sometimes even during sleep.
How long does a panic attack last?
Usually minutes, sometimes longer. The official sources do not give a single figure:
- NIMH: "A panic attack can last from a few minutes to an hour or sometimes longer."
- MedlinePlus: an attack "most often peaks within 10 to 20 minutes." It adds: "Some symptoms continue for an hour or more."
- Merck Manual: "Symptoms usually peak within 10 minutes and disappear within minutes."
- NHS (United Kingdom): "Most panic attacks last between 5 and 20 minutes. Some have been reported to last up to an hour."
Read together, they agree on the shape. The peak comes quickly, within 10 minutes by one account and within 10 to 20 by another, and the whole episode can run from a few minutes to an hour or more. The common claim that panic attacks last 10 minutes describes the peak, not the full attack.
Is it a panic attack or a heart attack?
Do not try to tell from the symptoms. No source behind this guide offers a way to do it. MedlinePlus states: "A panic attack may be mistaken for a heart attack." The American Heart Association lists chest discomfort, shortness of breath, a cold sweat and nausea among the warning signs of a heart attack. For women it adds less typical signs that include anxiety.
The Heart Association's instruction is: "Call 911 if you have heart attack warning signs. It's almost always the fastest way to get lifesaving treatment." Follow it for chest pain or shortness of breath that is new, severe or unexplained.
Panic is a conclusion reached after a medical evaluation. MedlinePlus says other medical disorders must be checked for before panic disorder can be diagnosed. A past diagnosis of panic does not rule out a heart problem later, so symptoms that are new or different need checking each time. Physical symptoms of anxiety covers the medical conditions and substances that can produce similar sensations.
Does one panic attack mean you have panic disorder?
No. NIMH is explicit: "An isolated panic attack is not a mental disorder." It also says that not everyone who experiences a panic attack will develop panic disorder. The Merck Manual estimates that between 8 and 23% of adults have a panic attack at some point in their lives, while panic disorder is present in 2 to 3% of the population in a year.
According to NIMH, a diagnosis of panic disorder requires recurrent, unexpected panic attacks, followed by at least 1 month of worrying about having more attacks, feeling scared about what the attacks mean, or changing behavior to try to avoid future attacks. Clinicians look at what the attacks have done to your life, not only at the attacks. Only a clinician can make that assessment.
Some people begin to fear places where escape or help would be difficult if an attack came. That pattern has its own name, agoraphobia, and is described in types of anxiety disorders.
What helps during a panic attack?
This section applies only when a medical evaluation has already established that what you get are panic attacks, and the episode feels like your usual ones. The NHS, the United Kingdom's health service, publishes the only official in-the-moment list found for this guide. The next time you feel a panic attack coming on, it suggests that you:
- stay where you are, if possible
- breathe slowly and deeply
- remind yourself that the attack will pass
- focus on positive, peaceful and relaxing images
The NHS list ends with a reminder that a panic attack is not life threatening. That statement is about an episode already known to be panic. It is not a way to judge chest pain or trouble breathing that is new, severe, unexplained or different from your usual attacks. For those, call 911. The Merck Manual adds that symptoms that are severe or persistent should be evaluated by a doctor.
This is guidance for getting through an attack. It is not a treatment. MedlinePlus also advises people who get panic attacks to avoid alcohol and stimulants such as caffeine, which may trigger or worsen the symptoms.
What treatments have been studied?
NIMH says treatment for panic disorder typically involves psychotherapy, medication, or both. The therapy it names is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), including exposure to the bodily sensations of panic, known as interoceptive exposure.
On the evidence, a 2016 Cochrane network meta-analysis included 54 studies with 3,021 patients in its analyses. For short-term remission, CBT had been tested in 32 studies and psychodynamic therapy in two. The authors found "no high-quality, unequivocal evidence to support one psychological therapy over the others," while noting that CBT "was often superior to other therapies." They rated the quality of the evidence as low for all outcomes. CBT is the most studied therapy for panic disorder, and the evidence base as a whole is weak.
The medications NIMH lists are SSRIs and SNRIs, which may take several weeks to start working, beta-blockers, which it says are not commonly prescribed for panic disorder, and anti-anxiety medications such as benzodiazepines. NIMH notes that some people build up a tolerance to benzodiazepines or become dependent on them, so a health care provider may prescribe them only for brief periods of time. Official sources differ here. NICE, the United Kingdom's guideline body, says in its UK guidance that benzodiazepines should not be prescribed for panic disorder and that antidepressants should be the only medication used in its longer-term management. Whether to take a medication, and which one, is decided with a prescriber.
Types of anxiety therapy and therapy, medication or both go further.
Where does Dr. Rabin's practice fit?
Dr. Rabin is a licensed clinical psychologist who offers anxiety therapy in Brookline and by secure telehealth across Massachusetts. Her approach is psychodynamic, attachment-based, trauma-informed and mindfulness-based, and she also offers CBT. She does not prescribe, and she can coordinate with a prescriber.
Because the research on panic disorder is largest for CBT, it is reasonable to ask any therapist whether their approach fits what you are dealing with. You can ask Dr. Rabin that on a free consultation of about 15 minutes, requested through the contact page. Do I need therapy for anxiety? can help you think it through first.
Keep reading
Sources
- National Institute of Mental Health, Panic Disorder: What You Need to Know (revised 2025)
- MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia, Panic disorder (reviewed May 15, 2026)
- Merck Manual Consumer Version (Barnhill JW), Panic Attacks and Panic Disorder (full review April 2026)
- NHS, Panic disorder (page last reviewed 22 August 2023)
- American Heart Association, Warning Signs of a Heart Attack (last reviewed December 12, 2024)
- Pompoli A, Furukawa TA, Imai H, Tajika A, Efthimiou O, Salanti G, Psychological therapies for panic disorder with or without agoraphobia in adults: a network meta-analysis, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (2016)
- NICE, Generalised anxiety disorder and panic disorder in adults: management, CG113, Recommendations (2011, updated 2020)
Last reviewed October 2026. This guide is general information, not medical advice or a diagnosis. If you are in crisis, call or text 988, or call 911 in an emergency.
