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Anxiety in life is healthy. It is the body’s natural physiological response to stimuli that are perceived as dangerous. Also known as the fight or flight response to threats, it is the human survival technique. To experience anxiety is to consciously recognize that the self is in threat of imminent harm – be it physical or psychological.

A panic attack occurs when a person is stimulated by anxiety in inappropriate instances when there is no actual threat of imminent harm. Typically, the occurrence is seemingly random, sparked by nothing in particular. A person can experience a panic attack at any time in any context, for example: when out shopping, driving a car, being at work or even sitting on the couch.

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What does it feel like to experience severe anxiety and depression? Why is there so much stigma around treating it? In an intimate, first-person account, AARP’s Meg Grant reveals her 30-year, secret struggle

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“There was a time when basic things—like driving, climbing a flight of stairs, taking a shower, or going through the checkout line at the grocery store—landed me somewhere between mortal unease and full-throttle terror.”

A single panic attack that struck out of the blue led to another and another and another, along with the pounding heart, tunnel vision, shaking hands, and inexplicable fear for her life that made it feel like there was no safe place in the world — even in her sleep. Her panic would stop at nothing.

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Shortly after seven on a sunny spring morning in 2004, I freaked out in front of five million people.

I was filling in on “Good Morning America,” anchoring the news updates at the top of each hour. I had done this job plenty of times before, so I had no reason to foresee what would happen shortly after the co-hosts, Diane Sawyer and Charlie Gibson, tossed it over to me for my brief newscast: I was overtaken by a massive, irresistible blast of fear. It felt like the world was ending. My heart was thumping. I was gasping for air. I had pretty much lost the ability to speak. And all of it was compounded by the knowledge that my freak-out was being broadcast live on national television. Halfway through the six stories I was supposed to read, I simply bailed, squeaking out a “Back to you.”

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If you suspect that you might suffer from panic disorder, answer the questions below, print out the results and share them with your health care professional.

To locate a specialist who treats panic disorder, visit the ADAA Find a Therapist.

This is a screening measure to help you determine whether you might have panic disorder that needs professional attention. This screening tool is not designed to make a diagnosis of panic disorder but to be shared with your primary care physician or mental health professional to inform further conversations about diagnosis and treatment.

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While diabetes is typically a manageable disease, it can create added stress. People with diabetes may have concerns related to regularly counting carbohydrates, measuring insulin levels, and thinking about long-term health. However, for some people with diabetes, those concerns become more intense and result in anxiety.

Read on to find out more about the connection between diabetes and anxiety and what you can do to prevent and treat your symptoms.

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I’ve grappled with anxiety ever since my first panic attack six years ago, during an otherwise inconsequential day in June. Driving from my house to the grocery store, I felt my tongue dry up, then my mouth. It happened slowly, as if I were swallowing sand. My throat dried out too. A guttural sense of fear boiled up from my stomach and the two feelings collided in my chest, sending adrenaline coursing through my body. Gasping for air I slammed on the brakes, hands scrabbling for the door, and flung myself out.

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Research shows that exercise is one of the best remedies for anxiety. It’s actually been found to be nearly as effective as Prozac at calming sensory nervous systems, producing feel-good hormones, lowering resting heart rate, increasing confidence, and decreasing sensitivity to anxiety symptoms. But cruelly, working out can also be a major trigger. Shallow breathing, a racing pulse, chest pressure, sweating, even slight nausea—these are all natural consequences of exertion; and they’re also symptoms of panic attacks. For me and the 3.3 million Americans with panic disorder, the sensations of exercise can morph seamlessly into full-fledged terror.

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