Panic attacks can happen to almost anyone at anytime. These attacks can come on without warning and last anywhere from a few minutes to almost 1/2 an hour. It's important to be able to recognize the symptoms of a panic attack.
A panic attacks is usually both physical and mental. mental in the sense that you have the panic and it's uncontrolled, while physical symptoms are real and present. Panic has often been associated with depression and anxiety but in reality can be both a symptom of other mental disorders or a disorder all it's own. Anxiety panic disorders are not uncommon and affect literally millions of people each year.