It's important that you know the different Type of Anxiety and Panic Attacks because it offers you a way to monitor yourself and establish a pattern. The more information you give to your doctor, the better they will be able to help you.
A. Unexpected or Spontaneous
Of all the different types of panic attacks, this is the one that will be experienced by a majority of the people - most people get it at least once or twice in their life. It comes without warning, and is commonly mistaken for a heart attack, and sometimes even for going nuts. It can accrue anywhere - it can be at work or in the restaurant. There will be no warning before the symptoms and you will suddenly not be able to catch your breath, you will be sweating and shaking. It's usually rather intense, and the person may not even recognize what's happening until it's over. In most people, it does not lead to anything more serious than that, but it's always best to have yourself cleared by a professional for any underlying stress disorders.
B. Situationally Predisposed
This one is triggered by a situation, and of the different types of panic attacks it's the one with the longest lag time - it can happen a long time after the event that caused the anxiety or fear has passed. Since the event is not always immediately followed by an attack this type of panic attack is very hard to predict. If you have a fear of flying for instance, you may only experience an attack once in a while between flights, and it will usually happen after you have flown and landed. These Types of Anxiety and Panic Attacks are harder to diagnose because of this - they are not a direct response to a fear of something, and the lag time means that many things have happen between the event and the attack. You will have to study the pattern to know when it occurs so that you can trace its cause.
C. Situationally Bound
This one is more specific and easy to diagnose because it is triggered by a specific situation and will occur almost every time one is exposed to that situation. If you fear snakes for instance, you will get an attack each time you are confronted by a snake. Amongst the types of panic attacks, it's the least commonly found in people with panic disorders, and this is because theirs are more spontaneous and more frequent and can be triggered by any number of Anxiety and Panic Attack Symptoms.
Fine out more about the type of anxiety and panic attacks in this video.
