In psychology, there is an identified condition called panic disorder that has been described as a specific psychological vulnerability of people to interpret normal physical sensations in a catastrophic way. They can either be triggered or occur unexpectedly. Though distressing, panic attacks themselves are not physically dangerous. Typically, symptoms reach a peak within ten minutes of onset, and last for roughly 30 minutes, but the duration can vary from seconds to hours. General adaptation syndrome regulates stress responses among vertebrates and other organisms involves the fight-or-flight response as it first stage.Ī panic attack is a sudden period of intense fear and discomfort that may include palpitations, sweating, chest pain, shaking, shortness of breath, numbness, or a feeling of impending doom or of losing control. The hormone osteocalcin might also play a part.
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The hormones estrogen, testosterone, and cortisol, as well as the neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin, also affect how organisms react to stress. The adrenal medulla produces a hormonal cascade that results in the secretion of catecholamines, especially norepinephrine and epinephrine. Animals react to threats with a general discharge of the sympathetic nervous system, preparing the animal for fighting or fleeing. The fight-or-flight response (among other names) is a physiological reaction that occurs in response to a perceived harmful event, attack, or threat to survival. The Greek term indicates the feeling of total fear that is also sudden and often attributed to the presence of a god.
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From this aspect of Pan's nature Greek authors derived the word panikos, “sudden fear,” the ultimate source of the English word: "panic".
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The Greeks believed that he often wandered peacefully through the woods, playing a pipe, but when accidentally awakened from his noontime nap he could give a great shout that would cause flocks to stampede. One of the many gods in the mythology of ancient Greece, Pan was the god of shepherds and of woods and pastures. The word "panic" derives from antiquity and is a tribute to the ancient god Pan.