Educational reference
About this symptom
Persistent concern about further attacks, or about what an attack might mean, is what distinguishes panic disorder from having experienced a panic attack.
The worry takes several forms: when the next attack will come, whether it will happen somewhere embarrassing or unsafe, and whether the sensations indicate an undetected physical illness. It can occupy long stretches of time between attacks, even when none occurs.
One consequence is close monitoring of the body. Sensations that would normally pass unnoticed are checked and interpreted, and because everyone experiences fluctuations in heart rate, breathing and balance, monitoring reliably finds something. That in turn can trigger an attack, which confirms the concern.
This is why treatment usually addresses the response between attacks as much as the attacks themselves. Reducing monitoring and reassurance seeking is often part of it, and is generally approached gradually rather than all at once.