What is Panic Disorder?

Panic disorder is a psychiatric condition that is categorized as an anxiety disorder in the DSM-IV. It is characterized by episodes of intense fear and anxiety, known as panic attacks. Other physical symptoms accompany this feeling of anxiety, like increased heartbeat, sweating, dizziness, and trembling.

Panic attacks can occur as frequently as daily or weekly or maybe just a few times a year. These attacks are sudden and unexpected and can lead to embarrassment and social stigma. They can even occur during sleep. An attack usually lasts about 10 minutes but symptoms can last longer than that.

A panic attack is characterized by a sudden fear, and feelings of weakness, dizziness and faintness. Your heart will pound and you will start to sweat. Your hands could start to feel numb and you could feel very hot or very cold.

It attacks 6 million Americans and women are twice as likely as men to suffer from it. It is important to know that not everyone who has a panic attack will develop panic disorder. Some people could have a single panic attack and never have another one.

What marks panic disorder is a fear of panic attacks occurring and having a fear of losing control. People with panic disorder will start to avoid places where they have previously had a panic attack. This can be truly disabling and have an extremely negative effect on people's lives. It creates a constant state of fear of having a panic attack.

According to the DSM-IV, to be diagnosed with panic attacks, you must have recurrent panic attacks followed by persistent fear of having another attack, worry about losing control, or a change in your behavior as a result of the attacks. Often, panic disorder is co-diagnosed with agoraphobia, which is a fear of having a panic attack out in the open and having no means of escape. So the presence or absence of agoraphobia is another criteria for panic disorder.

The disease is also characterized by ruling out other medical conditions or the physiological effects of a substance like medication as the causes for panic attacks.

Panic disorder is treatable and there are anti-anxiety medications available by prescription for the benefit of those who suffer from the disorder. Therapy is also available to make you better equipped to deal with panic attacks including learning to recognize signs of an incoming panic attack and learning how to deal with it.