When I think about the term "panic attack" I envision something that comes on suddenly & overwhelms the person having the experience. I don't know if anyone actually has this type of experience. What happens with me is that when I go to a shopping mall or the grocery store, for example, I start fairly calm or with just a small amount of apprehension. But the longer I'm there the stronger my anxiety becomes Sometimes it climbs to a higher level than others. I don't know what the difference is. At it's worst, I can begin to disassociate & begin to feel like I'm floating outside of my body. I've had this condition for many years. And as time has gone on it seems as though my attacks aren't quite as bad as they used to be. But they're still darn uncomfortable. But I have learned to just "tough it out." Then once I get home, I tend to "collapse" & take a nap because the stress of it all is so tiring.