Definition:
Panic disorder is the medical term for a psychiatric condition characterized by recurring panic attacks in
combination with significant behavioral change or at least a month of ongoing worry about the implications or
concern about having other attacks.
Diagnosis:
Panic disorder may not be diagnosed until extensive and expensive medical tests have ruled out other serious
illnesses.
Treatment:
Panic Disorder is real and potentially disabling, but it could be controlled and successfully treated. Due to the
intense symptoms that accompany Panic Disorder, it may be mistaken for a life-threatening physical illness. This
misconception usually aggravates or triggers future attacks. People frequently visit the hospital emergency rooms
when they are having panic attacks, and extensive medical tests may be performed to rule out these other
conditions, thus creating further anxiety.
Symptoms and Signs:
Panic Disorder sufferers usually have a series of intense episodes of extreme anxiety, known as panic attacks.
These attacks typically last 10 minutes, but can be as short as 1–5 minutes. Although, attacks can wax and wane
for a period of hours—one panic attack rolling into another.
Causes:
Panic Disorder has been found to run in families, and this may mean that inheritance plays a strong role in
determining who will get it. It also has been found to exist as a co-morbid condition with many hereditary
disorders, such as bipolar disorder, and alcoholism.
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