Panic Attacks are intense epidodes of irrational fear that occur for no obvious reason
and often out of the blue.These episodes ussually last for only a few minutes but can last for much longer periods of time .Panic Attacks sometimes come in cycles,which means that a 5 mniute panic attack can happen over and over until it seems as if it is one attack lasting as long as an hour.(possibly more).
Panic Attacks can happen at any place and time.The unpredictablilty of panic attacks is what makes them such a frightening experience for those who suffer from them.A lot of times people who suffer from panic attacks find that their homes are the only place they feel safe.They will often avoid places that cause distress,or will only go to these place when a trusted friend or family member is with them.
If the first panic attack happens while driving,the person might avoid driving all together or drive only if accompanied by someone else.Similarly if a panic attack were to happen at a mall or grogery store the person may avoid shopping.If these activities are avoided for long periods of time and no treatment is started,these irrational fears can become deeply rooted,and the panic disorder will be extremely dificult to overcome and could develop into a condition called Agoriphobia.
The daily activities mentioned above are ones that average person may take for granted and will often not understand why such a normal non threatening activity would cause someone to react in such an irrational way.In my opinion the answer to this very common question is that while these activities are not seen to be dangerous or threatening by the most people the extremely uncomfortable symptoms and irrational nature of panic attacks will often distort the sufferers preception of danger and will cause many normal situations and activities to become frightening and unbearable.