Use this panic attack test to help determine if you are experiencing the symptoms of a panic attack and whether you should seek a diagnosis or treatment for panic disorder from a qualified doctor or mental health professional.
Instructions:
When taking the panic attack test, please answer the questions based on the most recent incident. Think about whether or not you had each symptom during that incident.
1)
Did you experience a fast heart rate or heart palpitations or a pounding heart?
Yes
No
2)
Were you sweating?
Yes
No
3)
Did you experience shaking or trembling?
Yes
No
4)
Did you experience shortness of breath or difficulty breathing or sensations of smothering?
Yes No
5)
Did you feel like you were choking or like you couldn't swallow?
Yes No
6)
Did you feel pain or discomfort or tightness in your chest?
Yes No
7)
Did you feel sick to your stomach or nauseous or feel other abdominal distress?
Yes No
8)
Did you feel dizzy, unsteady, lightheaded, or faint?
Yes No
9)
Did you experience feelings of unreality (derealization) or feelings of being detached from yourself (depersonalization)?
Yes No
10)
Did you fear that you would lose control or go crazy?
Yes No
11)
Were you afraid that you were dying?
Yes No
12)
Did you feel numbness or tingling sensations (paresthesias)?
Yes No
13)
Did you feel chills or hot flashes?
Yes No
Scoring:
If your score is 4 or above, you may have experienced a panic attack.
If your score is higher than 4, you have experienced many symptoms of a panic attack. If these symptoms came on abruptly and reached a peak in about 10 minutes, you may have had a panic attack.
Help is available through anxiety medications and various therapies for anxiety and panic. Please print out your panic attack test and score and share it with your doctor or therapist.
