The most common symptoms of a _____ are a pounding heart, rapid breathing, breathlessness, and a choking sensation. The person may also sweat, tremble, and experience light-headedness, chills, or hot flashes. Accompanying the intense, escalating surge of physical arousal are feelings of terror and the belief that one is about to die, go crazy, or completely lose control.

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The symptoms described in the passage are characteristic of a panic attack, which is a sudden surge of intense fear or discomfort that reaches a peak within minutes and is accompanied by physical and cognitive symptoms. Generalized anxiety disorder involves excessive, unrealistic worry and tension even when there is little or nothing to provoke it, but does not necessarily involve panic attacks. Obsessive-compulsive disorder involves intrusive and unwanted thoughts or repetitive behaviors, but not necessarily panic attacks. Major depressive disorder involves persistent feelings of sadness or loss of interest, but not necessarily panic attacks.

The Most Common Symptoms of a _____ Are a Pounding