What is the experience characterized by intense fear, often with physical symptoms?

The experience characterized by intense fear, often accompanied by physical symptoms, is best described as a panic attack. During a panic attack, individuals may experience a sudden onset of overwhelming anxiety and fear, which can lead to various physical sensations such as a racing heart, shortness of breath, sweating, trembling, dizziness, or a feeling of impending doom. This often happens without any apparent trigger, causing significant distress and a sense of losing control.

While social anxiety, generalized anxiety, and phobias involve anxiety and fear, they manifest differently. Social anxiety is specifically related to fears of social interactions or being judged, generalized anxiety involves a more pervasive and chronic worry about a variety of issues, and phobias are intense, irrational fears of specific objects or situations. None of these experiences encapsulate the sudden, acute nature and physical symptomatology of a panic attack, making the identification of a panic attack as the correct answer clear.