Public Meltdown/Panic Attack

My attacks consist of: breathing difficulties,  chest and heart pains, a kind of darkness enveloping my mind, legs turning to jelly as I try to walk forward. And finally if I push it. I lose consciousness.  if I withdraw,  the symptoms ease.

This has happened at school when I tried to enter the sixth form common room.  At work, trying to walk into a canteen/restaurant, while people are socialising and talking.  And sometimes into shops.

Once it happened with no warning. In Sheffield city centre,  I found myself sitting in a chair in a Boots store and staff asking me if I was OK or wanted a drink of water.

glad you got home safe and are looking for the positives

for me needing to get away from wherever I am is a big part of a build up to a panic attack. My wanting to get away is sometimes really unsafe - I want to get out of cars on motorways for example - it's a thing of wanting to remove myself/ run away from myself rather than a practical thing of moving away from a physical threat. I have never lost consciousness but have felt as though I was going to. wierdly I sometimes also feel like I am falling asleep in really innapropriate places. 

I wanted to 'escape' from my seatbelt and freak out. It's also a schizoaffective issue, too.

I'm still confused about what exactly is a panic attack.

Several times, I've ended up losing consciousness in social situations.  My mental health workers have diagnosed these as panic attacks.