There are five major Anxiety Disorders and it is not unusual for people to experience symptoms of more than one Anxiety Disorder at the same time.

• Panic Disorder is the experience of spontaneous panic attacks. The intensity of the attack can be extremely severe and many people feel they are having a heart attack an/or are going to die or are going insane.
• Social Anxiety is the experience of fear, anxiety and/or panic in social situations in which people fear they may embarrass themselves in some way.
• Acute Stress Disorder /Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is the experience, or witness or confrontation with an event or events that involved actual or threatened death or serious injury or threat to the physical injury of self or others.
• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is the experience of obsessive unwanted thoughts and/or compulsive behaviours that may include rituals and can markedly interfere with normal functioning.
• Generalised Anxiety Disorder is persistence and excessive anxiety or worry experienced for six months or more about events or activities which may or may not happen.

Spontaneous panic attacks are associated to panic disorder. Panic disorder is the fear of having a spontaneous panic attack. This attack comes without any warning day or night irrespective of what the person is doing. The spontaneous attack is not related to and is not induced by any particular situation or place. Many people can be waken from sleep with this type of attack. Many people fear they are dying, having a heart attack or going insane or losing control.
Panic disorder strikes at least 1.6 percent of the population and is twice as common in women as in men.
Panic disorder lead to other conditions such as depression or alcoholism.

The common symptoms of a panic attack are:
Palpitations, pounding heart or accelerated heart rate, sweating, trembling or shaking, sensations of shortness of breath or smothering, feeling of chocking, chest pain or discomfort, nausea or abdominal distress, feeling dizzy, unsteady, lightheadedness or faint, Derealisation or depersonalisation, fear of losing control or going crazy, fear of dying, numbness or tingling sensations, chills or hot flushes.
Many people find their lives becoming increasingly restricted by anxiety disorder and may develop a major depression in reaction to their anxiety disorder.
Many sufferers feel a loss of motivation and helplessness as a result.
In the past many people were being diagnosed as having depression, while their primary anxiety disorder remained undiagnosed and untreated.
This is still occurring in many cases.
While it is important that the depression is treated, the underlying anxiety disorder also needs to be treated!

Tranquillisers : Many people do develop a prescribed drug dependence as a result of taking medication for their anxiety disorder.
Despite the research showing the addictive nature of tranquillisers people are still being prescribed these drugs long term.
Speak with your doctor and again, if your doctor is not receptive to your concerns, seek a second opinion and/or contact your local Drug and Alcohol unit.

Self help and alternative medicine:
Relaxation Exercises:
These can be very helpful. Teach yourself how to breathe correctly. Most of us breathe from our upper chest area instead of our abdominal area. Practice deep breathing. Studies have found that it is impossible to have a panic attack when you are breathing deeply and properly.
Learn how to meditate, take yoga, get a massage, and most of all exercise.
Exercising can be the best prescription. You will have fewer anxiety producing illnesses if you achieve physical fitness. You can have a new and exciting lifestyle if you are functioning at optimal levels of health. Set a goal and become more physically fit and then commit yourself to achieving it. Your unconscious mind will make it easier to exercise and eat right if you program it with visualizations and affirmations.

Homeopathy: try Aconite 30 for irrational fears, Arsenicum 30 for anxiety in the evening, gelsemium 30 for anxiety with trembling.

Herbal medicine: among the best remedies for anxiety are: valerian, Kava-Kava, Passiflora, Verbean

Essential oil: Chamomile, Lavender, mandarin, ylang-Ylang

Acupuncture: a short course of treatment is very effective
Anxiety and panic attacks are 100% treatable. Don't suffer anymore than you have to. Take charge and get yourself on the track to a better quality of life. It may take some work, it will be worth it.