panika

Panika is a term used in several languages to denote a sudden, overwhelming experience of fear or anxiety, often accompanied by physical symptoms and a sense of loss of control. In everyday language, it can describe a chaotic or dangerous situation that provokes alarm.

In languages such as Polish, Croatian, Serbian, Lithuanian, and Russian (transliterated as panika), the word corresponds to the English "panic." The term's etymology traces to the English panic, which derives from Latin panicus and Greek panikos, ultimately linked to the mythic figure Pan, whose presence was said to inspire sudden fear.

In medical usage, a panic attack is a sudden surge of intense fear accompanied by physical symptoms such as heart palpitations, sweating, trembling, shortness of breath, dizziness, chest pain, or a choking feeling. If attacks are recurrent and unexpected, the condition may be diagnosed as panic disorder.

Panika itself is not a diagnosis; it is a linguistic term. Clinicians distinguish between panic attacks and broader anxiety disorders; treatment may include cognitive-behavioral therapy, exposure therapy, and pharmacotherapy with antidepressants or anxiolytics (typically SSRIs or SNRIs; benzodiazepines are used short-term).

See also: Panic; Panic attack; Panic disorder.