An actual panic attack is completely and totally devastating. The entire fight/flight system goes haywire, and people think they're about to die. It's even possible to start hallucinating. Lots of sufferers wind up in the ER absolutely convinced they're having a heart attack.
What's worse, this can lead to a whole range of phobias (I'm in the middle of this theater. What if I have an attack? Then you start having one. Now you're afraid of theaters and theater-like spaces).
It can take many, many years for people to learn how to "talk themselves down" out of this (or, more accurately, to endure the onset of one without letting it get full blown). It's not life threatening, but it's a very serious illness indeed.
What's worse, this can lead to a whole range of phobias (I'm in the middle of this theater. What if I have an attack? Then you start having one. Now you're afraid of theaters and theater-like spaces).
It can take many, many years for people to learn how to "talk themselves down" out of this (or, more accurately, to endure the onset of one without letting it get full blown). It's not life threatening, but it's a very serious illness indeed.