Darcy is sitting at her desk in her office one day when, without warning, her heart begins racing rapidly, she starts sweating profusely, and she is gripped with a terrifying fear that she is about to go crazy

Nothing she is doing seems to have caused such an episode. Her symptoms most resemble
A) a phobic disorder.
B) a panic attack.
C) post-traumatic stress.
D) a compulsion

Answer: B
Rationale: The key feature of panic disorder is panic attacks—brief moments of extreme anxiety that include a rush of physical activity paired with frightening thoughts. A panic attack escalates when the fear of death causes increased physical arousal, and the increased physical symptoms feed the frightening thoughts.