Chest pain anxiety: Overview
Panic attacks are spontaneous episodes of intense fear that can last for several minutes up to an hour. People experiencing a panic attack often go to the emergency room with chest pain or dyspnea (difficulty breathing) because they’re scared they’re having a heart attack. Panic attacks have some crossover symptoms with heart attacks, and it’s easy to confuse the two. This is known as chest pain anxiety. During a panic attack, you might have feelings of impending doom, the urge to flee or escape, or fear you’re dying from suffocation or a heart attack.