The primary feeling experienced during a panic attack is described as what?

The primary feeling experienced during a panic attack is intense dread. This overwhelming sensation is often characterized by a rapid onset of fear, anxiety, and a sense of impending doom, which can be paralyzing for individuals going through a panic attack. Physiologically, this can manifest as an increased heart rate, shortness of breath, sweating, or feelings of unreality.

The intense dread is a hallmark of panic attacks, distinguishing them from other anxiety experiences. It triggers the body's fight-or-flight response, leading to heightened physical and emotional responses. In contrast, feelings of joy, moderate anxiety, or neutrality do not encapsulate the severity and urgency of emotions experienced during a panic attack. These other emotional states do not adequately convey the distress and alarm that someone experiences in that moment, which centers around the fear of losing control or the fear of dying, making intense dread the most accurate description.