Colombo, Oct. 21 -- Health professionals have raised concerns over a rising number of panic attack cases reported among young women and schoolgirls across the country, Government Medical Officers' Association (GMOA) Assistant Secretary Dr. Palitha Rajapaksha said.

Speaking to the Daily Mirror, Dr. Rajapaksha said medical observations show that between nine to 20 schoolgirls and seven to eight young women are brought to hospital emergency units each week with symptoms linked to panic attacks.

He noted that patients often experience dizziness, fainting, rapid breathing, chest pain, numbness in the hands and feet, tingling in the fingers and toes, tightness in the chest, excessive sweating, dry mouth, and, in some cases, brief loss of cons...