Definition
Panic is characterized by surges of the sympathetic nervous system characterizing the fight-flight-freeze response when faced with immediate danger or threat (American Psychiatric Association 2013).
Introduction
Panic is a characteristic feature of acute fear not limited to anxiety disorders. In contrast to anxiety, which is more characteristic of preparation for future danger, caution, and avoidance, escape is more typical in fear and panic to cope with perceived imminent danger (Blanchard and Blanchard 1990). Panic is discrete, beginning suddenly, intensifying rapidly, and peaking within minutes (American Psychiatric Association 2013).
Panic
The three components characterizing the experience of panic include emotions, cognition, and behaviors. The emotion of fear typically manifests via somatic symptoms. Specifically, panic is characterized by physiological hyperarousal. Physical symptoms may include, racing/pounding heart, sweating, chest pain,...
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Acknowledgment and Disclaimer
Correspondence concerning this paper should be addressed to Alexander M. Talkovsky, Ph.D., VA San Diego Health Care System, 3350 La Jolla Village Drive, San Diego, CA, USA, Phone: 858-552-8585, email: atalkovsky@ucsd.edu. This material is the result of work supported with resources and the use of facilities at VA San Diego Health Care System. The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the position or policy of the VA San Diego Health Care System, UC San Diego, the United States Government nor Monash University.
Conflicts of Interest
The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose, and no patents relevant to this work.
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Talkovsky, A.M., Norton, P.J. (2020). Panic. In: Zeigler-Hill, V., Shackelford, T.K. (eds) Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-24612-3_543
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-24612-3_543
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