Hi all like minded panickers,as somebody who had their first panic attack 30 years ago i firmly think it all starts with the first attack and how quickly you get over it.When i had my first attack it knocked me for six but in those days nobody had ever heard of a panic attack including gp's the doctors then would refer people straight to a psychiatrist or dose you up with Valium (no change there then).My feeling is that because the onset of an attack is so fearful that we live with an irrational fear of having another one so as we avoid all the normal places and lose friends on the way we live our lives with this fear festering in our minds which then leads to everything attatched to panic,anxiety,agoraphobia,etc,etc,but going back to my first time for an attack in the70,s panic wasn't heard of so didn't stay with me after first attack as i hadn't known what happened to me it was only when i knew what it was did it start reoccuring which proves to me that it's all in the mind----just think if a panic attack had the same feeling as an orgasm would we fear it but after all it is still only a feeling, it has ruined my life but it never hurt me. When we realise it's all in the mind and throw the tablets away we will be on the road to recovery. i also think it is hard to stay in a relationship as it is very difficult for anybody to understand what we go through can you blame them? John aged 60. keep up the good fight