Classification

Despite comparisons to panic attack, investigators have identified ataque de nervios as a separate syndrome with measured differences in anxiety sensitivity and types of attacks.

Symptoms

Reported aspects of the syndrome include uncontrollable screaming or shouting, crying, trembling, sensations of heat rising in the chest and head, dissociative experiences, and verbal or physical aggression. The reaction is usually associated with a stressful event relating to the family, although it is not specifically defined as arising from such occurrences.

History

Ataque de nervios was first mentioned in Puerto Rico by US military psychiatrists who observed a young Puerto Rican experiencing unusual illness.