Yes, crying is a very common symptom of a panic attack, often occurring due to the overwhelming fear, intense emotional overload, or as a natural release for the extreme stress and helplessness experienced during the episode. While not everyone cries during every panic attack, it's a normal bodily response to the body's fight-or-flight system being triggered, and it can happen before, during, or after the main symptoms.
While not everyone will cry during a panic attack, it is not uncommon. The intense fear, frustration, and sense of helplessness can lead to tears as the body's way of coping with the stress.
Accept panic when it happens. If you are having a panic attack, label it as such and remind yourself that it is self-limiting. That is, it will pass shortly on its own if you don't add second fear, don't fight it or don't try to make it go away.
To calm a panic attack, focus on slow, deep breathing (like the 4-7-8 method), ground yourself with sensory techniques (5-4-3-2-1 method), remind yourself the feeling will pass and isn't dangerous, and try to distract yourself with an activity or by changing your physical location slightly to shift focus from internal symptoms to your surroundings.
Chronic (ongoing) stress – this causes the body to produce higher than usual levels of stress chemicals such as adrenaline. Acute stress (such as experiencing a traumatic event) – can suddenly flood the body with large amounts of stress chemicals.
Most panic attacks last between 5 and 20 minutes. Some have been reported to last up to an hour. The number of attacks you have will depend on how severe your condition is. Some people have attacks once or twice a month, while others have them several times a week.
Some researchers think panic attacks are like “false alarms,” where our body's typical survival instincts are active either too often or too strongly, or some combination of the two. For example, someone with panic disorder might feel their heart pounding and assume they're having a heart attack.
And while it sounds like a good idea, deep breathing during a panic attack often backfires. That's because most people experiencing panic are already over-breathing or hyperventilating. Taking an even bigger breath can intensify the imbalance of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the body—and make symptoms worse.
Panic attacks typically include some of these signs or symptoms: Sense of impending doom or danger. Fear of loss of control or death. Rapid, pounding heart rate.
SSRIs approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of panic disorder include fluoxetine (Prozac), paroxetine (Paxil, Pexeva) and sertraline (Zoloft). Serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs). These medications are another class of antidepressants.
Multiple attacks of different intensities may occur over several hours, which might feel as if one panic attack is rolling into the next, like waves. At first, panic attacks usually seem to come 'out of the blue,' but over time a person may come to expect them in certain situations.
They might want the room to themselves or just want some physical distance between you two, while still being able to see you. On that note, never touch someone who is having a panic attack without asking first. “Even a comforting touch can feel overwhelming during a panic attack,” says Williams.
Ignoring panic disorder can also lead to other mental health concerns, including depression, insomnia, and substance use as individuals try to self-medicate.
Dr. Stern says that an occasional meltdown is completely normal. “You may suddenly burst into tears or lash out with anger because you feel out of control, overwhelmed with pressures and things in your life that are unpredictable. That doesn't mean something is 'wrong' with you,” she says.
In addition to behavioral tools, healthy eating, and lifestyle choices, drinking tea can also help with stress and anxiety relief.
A panic attack itself can't kill you. But panic attacks can cause scary symptoms, like feeling that you're “going crazy” or dying. Panic attacks can also cause scary physical symptoms that can be mistaken for a life-threatening medical emergency. Examples include chest pain, trouble breathing, sweating, or trembling.
Hyperventilation and crying often go hand in hand during a panic attack. When a person cries, especially when sobbing, their breathing can become irregular and rapid. This can exacerbate hyperventilation and lead to more intense feelings of panic and physical discomfort.
Understand that panic attacks are scary but not dangerous.
When you rule out any medical condition, the next step is to then learn that panic symptoms are scary but not dangerous. Your symptoms are simply a result of your fight-flight response being activated without any real reason.
But there are things you can do to help:
Low serum concentrations of vitamin B6 and iron are related to panic attack and hyperventilation attack.
Urgent help
This self-help guide is intended for people with mild-to-moderate symptoms of panic, or panic attacks that started recently. If you're feeling distressed, in a state of despair, suicidal or in need of emotional support you can phone NHS 24 on 111. For an emergency ambulance phone 999.
While a popular portrait of panic is screaming or shouting, a sufferer may actually shut down completely. A panic attack can induce photo- and audiosensitivity, physical pain, a tight chest, or out-of-body sensations. But these are all internal symptoms.
When To See a Doctor or Go to the ER About Anxiety. If you experience moderate to severe anxiety symptoms or uncontrollable panic episodes for 30 minutes or longer, visit your nearest emergency room for prompt medical attention and anxiety relief.
Indeed, evidence from clinical samples indicates heightened anger and aggression among individuals with anxiety disorders [9], high co-occurrence of anxiety disorders with antisocial behavior and aggression [13], and poor treatment outcomes for individuals with anxiety who have co-occurring anger problems [9].