I am a 25 year old male (Indian). Over the past 7 years or so, I have been experiencing certain symptoms whenever I get tensed / excited such as sensation of heart beat (pounding feel on the chest), breathlessness , pain in the chest, etc. Once I relax myself, these symptoms disappear and they generally don t last for more than 3 - 5 minutes. I have also occassionally experienced palpitations (twice in the last 6 years) and panic attacks (about 3 - 4 times in the last 4 years) . For long, I thought I had a heart problem though I never met a doctor fearing the worst. I recently read on the net there s something called an anxiety disorder whose symptoms can be quite similar to cardiac sympotms. That had me wondering if I too could be suffering from an anxiety disorder. I recently met a general physician who identified my condition as sinus tachycardia . He wanted me to undergo an ECG test to monitor my heart health. The problem with me is as soon as I approach the medical lab (to take my ECG), I start getting nervous and excperience chest pain , pounding feel on the chest. I start getting thoughts like What if my ECG indicates a heart problem? How am I going to face it? , etc. This overwhelming sense of fear forces me to turn away from the lab without getting the test done. The symptoms then disappear once the fear subsides. I sometimes feel like I m being irrational in having these fears but the more I try to convince myself, the more apprehensive I become. I guess if someone with knowledge in the field can guide me, it would help. I do sincerely hope that I don t have any cardiac disorder and my condition is closer to being a form of anxiety disorder. But even if the test results indicate a heart disorder, is that something to be feared so much considering the kind of treatments available today? In other words, if I happen to be diagnosed with a heart disorder, would that be the end of the road for me, or can I still manage to lead a normal life (possibly with some lifestyle modifications)? If someone can provide guidance on this, that would perhaps help me face the diagnostic tests with greater confidence.