Panic attacks have symptoms that are related to the diagnosis of the problem. These symptoms are often emotional and mental in nature, but often include physical problems as well. To define, what is a panic attack, you must define the symptoms that are related to the trigger causing the symptoms.
A trigger is an person, place, thing or event that causes a spark, if you will, in the person who suffers from a panic attack. This trigger is the beginning point of the attack. For some, they are very aware of what those triggers are and their bodily reaction to those triggers. For others, the trigger is something that is unknown to them (consciously) and therefore even more scary for those who want to know what a panic attack is.
