Panic attacks
A panic attack usually passes within minutes to tens of minutes. You can get through it.
Symptoms
- A racing heart
- A choking feeling, hyperventilation
- Chest pain or tightness
- Dizziness, tingling in hands and feet
- Sweating, trembling, chills or flushes
- Terror of "dying" or "going mad"
- A sense of unreality
What you can do now
- Sit somewhere safe. If driving, pull over.
- Breathe out slowly — make the out-breath longer than the in-breath.
- Focus on the feeling of your feet on the floor.
- Count five things you can see. It brings you back to here and now.
- Tell yourself: "this is a panic attack and it will pass."
- Don't fight it — let it pass through.
When to see a doctor
- If it's your first time, it needs distinguishing from heart or thyroid problems. Get checked.
- If chest pain spreads to the arm or jaw, or you break into a cold sweat, it may be the heart. Call 119. See heart-attack-signs.
- If it recurs, psychiatric care manages it well — treatment tends to work.
Where to go
- 1577-0199 mental health helpline (24 hours)
- 1577-1366 Danuri Call Centre (multilingual)
- Your local mental health welfare centre
- 119 if a heart problem is suspected
- Psychiatry — see mental-health-help
Questions people ask
It happens on the subway or in lifts. A common pattern. Avoidance makes it worse. Counselling and treatment let you re-adapt step by step.
Should I take medication? It helps in some cases. Discuss it with a doctor. Never take someone else's medication.
What do I do if someone near me has one? Say calmly "it's alright, this will pass" and stay with them. Don't restrain or press them. Breathing into a bag is not recommended.
It happened at work. Move somewhere quiet and settle. If it recurs, discuss treatment together with work adjustments.
Take care
On a first episode, always get checked to rule out heart disease. Panic attacks aren't dangerous, but heart problems with similar symptoms are. Alcohol and caffeine make panic worse.
Related
mental-crisis · mental-health-welfare · heart-attack-signs · suicidal-thoughts · depression-support
Source
Ministry of Health and Welfare, National Mental Health Portal www.mentalhealth.go.kr / As of 2026-08