If you are a sufferer of anxiety panic attacks, it is important that you understand exactly what they are and how they come about. An attack starts when stress and anxiety levels increase to a point where they are uncontrollable by the person who is having the episode. The individual will quickly descend into a state of panic and fear of surroundings, feeling that they are dying or having a heart attack and even going crazy. In effect, the brain is saying to the body that it is feeling a discomfort that is probably not real. Depending on the severity of the attack, they can last anywhere upwards of approximately fifteen minutes. The experience oftentimes causes a vicious cycle where the individual dreads another attack, which merely causes the symptoms to worsen.