Panic Attacks are best described as which of the following?

• A. An unexpected and emotionally intense experience of terror and fear
• B. A persistent fear of a specific object
• C. A chronic mood disturbance
• D. A pattern of delusional beliefs

Answer: (A)

The key idea is that panic attacks are sudden, overwhelming bursts of fear that come on quickly and often without a trigger. This description—an unexpected and emotionally intense experience of terror and fear—best captures what a panic attack feels like, with accompanying symptoms like racing heart, sweating, trembling, shortness of breath, or a sense of impending doom. It isn’t simply fear of something specific (that would be a phobia), nor a persistent mood disturbance (like depression), nor a pattern of delusional beliefs (which points to a psychotic disorder). So the description that emphasizes sudden, all-encompassing fear is the most accurate.