Panic attacks

The award show was live on three channels. Tanvir, who has played heroes in films and serials for twelve years, was halfway down the red carpet when his heart began to hammer and his hands went numb. He was certain he was dying. At the hospital in Gulshan the ECG was normal. A week later it happened again, in the lift at a production house. Now he avoids both.

An illustration drawn from common experience. The person is invented; the pattern is not.

Understanding panic attacks

A panic attack is a sudden surge of intense fear that peaks within minutes, with a pounding heart, breathlessness, sweating, trembling, dizziness, chest pain or a feeling of unreality. It is the body’s alarm system firing with nothing to fight. The attacks are frightening but not dangerous in themselves. When they keep returning and people start living around the fear of the next one, doctors call it panic disorder, one of the anxiety disorders.

How common are panic attacks?

Anxiety disorders, including panic disorder, affected 470 million people worldwide in 2023, WHO estimates. In Bangladesh, the 2018–19 national survey found anxiety disorders in 4.7% of adults.

Signs and symptoms of panic attacks

• Sudden attacks of intense fear with strong physical symptoms
• Worrying for weeks about having another attack
• Avoiding places where an attack happened, or where escape feels hard
• Repeated visits to emergency departments with normal tests

Treatment for panic attacks

A doctor first makes sure the heart, thyroid and lungs are healthy, because a careful medical check is what makes it safe to treat the fear as fear. Cognitive behavioural therapy then teaches people what the sensations are and, step by step, to stop running from them. Medication can help some people alongside therapy.

What getting better can look like

The sign that Tanvir is recovering may be the next premiere: walking the carpet, feeling the hammering start, and staying, smiling for the cameras, until it passes.

Common questions about panic attacks

Can a panic attack damage your heart?

A panic attack is frightening but not dangerous in itself: it is the body’s alarm system firing with nothing to fight, with a pounding heart, breathlessness and sometimes chest pain. Because heart, thyroid and lung problems can feel similar, chest pain should always be checked by a doctor first. A careful medical check is what makes it safe to treat the fear as fear.

What is the difference between a panic attack and panic disorder?

A panic attack is a single surge of intense fear that peaks within minutes. Panic disorder is when the attacks keep returning and a person starts living around the fear of the next one, worrying for weeks and avoiding places where an attack happened. It is one of the anxiety disorders, and it is treated with cognitive behavioural therapy, with medication helping some people alongside it.

When to see a psychiatrist

If fear of the next attack is changing where you go and what you do, help is available. Chest pain should always be checked by a doctor first.

Care here is personal: built around your history, your health and what you want to change, and reviewed with you as it goes.

If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 999 or go to the nearest hospital emergency department.

Sources

• World Health Organization, “Mental disorders” fact sheet, September 2026
• Alam et al., Asian Journal of Psychiatry, 2023 (PMID 38199203), from the National Mental Health Survey of Bangladesh 2018–19
• NICE guideline CG113, Generalised anxiety disorder and panic disorder in adults: management