<unk>  is a mental and behavioral<unk> , specifically an anxiety<unk>  characterized by reoccurring unexpected<unk>  attacks.<unk>  attacks are sudden periods of intense fear that may include palpitations, sweating, shaking, shortness of breath, numbness, or a feeling that something terrible is going to happen. The maximum degree of symptoms occurs within minutes. There may be ongoing worries about having further attacks and avoidance of places where attacks have occurred in the past. The cause of<unk>  is unknown.<unk>  often runs in families. Risk factors include smoking, psychological stress, and a history of child abuse. Diagnosis involves ruling out other potential causes of anxiety including other mental<unk> s, medical conditions such as heart disease or hyperthyroidism, and drug use. Screening for the condition may be done using a questionnaire.<unk>  is usually treated with counselling and medications. The type of counselling used is typically cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) which is effective in more than half of people. Medications used include antidepressants and occasionally benzodiazepines or beta blockers. Following stopping treatment up to 30% of people have a recurrence.<unk>  affects about 2.5% of people at some point in their life. It usually begins during adolescence or early adulthood, but may affect people of any age. It is less common in children and older people. Women are more often affected than men.
Panic disorder
Hyperthyroidism
Depression 
Cardiovascular disease
Late life depression
Hypochondriasis
Blood phobia
Anxiety disorder