A panic attack is a sudden surge of intense fear or discomfort that peaks within minutes and brings symptoms like palpitations, chest discomfort, trembling, shortness of breath, dizziness, or fear of losing control.

Panic disorder is different. It requires recurrent unexpected panic attacks plus the aftermath: persistent worry about more attacks, concern about what the attacks mean, or meaningful behavior change such as avoidance.

That is why someone can have panic attacks without meeting criteria for panic disorder. Panic attacks can occur in PTSD, social anxiety disorder, specific phobia, substance-related states, and medical conditions as well.

In practice, one of the best diagnostic questions is what happened after the attack. If the patient's life started to narrow around fear of the next one, panic disorder becomes much more likely.