Panic disorder
Panic disorder: Introduction
Panic disorder causes episodes of irrational fear and panic
called "panic attacks".
In addition to the mental symptoms of fear, panic, and terror,
these attacks often lead to physical symptoms such as chest pain,
difficulty breathing, rapid pulse,
and various other symptoms.
These symptoms can be so severe that many first-time sufferers
believe they are having a heart attack or are dying,
and go to a hospital emergency room for diagnosis.
A single panic attack does not necessarily mean a diagnosis
of panic disorder, but multiple episodes usually does.
Once an attack can occur, people can get into a vicious cycle
of so-called "anticipatory anxiety", where the fear of having
an attack leads to increased anxiety.
In some cases, people start to avoid places or events
that trigger an attack, leading to phobias or agoraphobia. ...more »
Symptoms of Panic disorder
See full list of 40
symptoms of Panic disorder
Treatments for Panic disorder
See full list of 20
treatments for Panic disorder
Home Diagnostic Testing
Home medical testing related to Panic disorder:
Wrongly Diagnosed with Panic disorder?
Panic disorder: Related Patient Stories
Types of Panic disorder
Read more about Types of Panic disorder
Panic disorder: Complications
Review possible medical complications related to Panic disorder:
Causes of Panic disorder
Read more about causes of Panic disorder.
Disease Topics Related To Panic disorder
Research the causes of these diseases that are similar to, or related to, Panic disorder:
Panic disorder: Undiagnosed Conditions
Commonly undiagnosed diseases in related medical categories:
Misdiagnosis and Panic disorder
Common asymptomatic heart disorder can cause anxiety-like conditions: Anxiety symptoms may be due to heart disorder - There is a reasonably
common heart disorder called Mitral Valve Prolapse (MVP),
that often remains undiagnosed...read more »
Rare cancer hidden cause of panic symptoms: The rare cancer pheochromocytoma, an adrenal tumor, can initially
have symptoms similar to panic disorder.
Its symptoms may include anxiety, panic, sweating, increased...read more »
Thyroid disorder misdiagnosed as anxiety disorder: The book "A Dose of Sanity" reports on a case
where as woman was diagnosed with panic disorder, and had...read more »
Cluster of diseases with difficult diagnosis issues: There is a well-known list of
medical conditions that are all somewhat difficult to diagnose, and all can present
in a variety of different severities.
Diseases...read more »
Undiagnosed stroke leads to misdiagnosed aphasia: BBC News UK reported on a man who
had been institutionalized and treated for mental illness
because he suffered from sudden inability to speak.
This...read more »
Heart attack can be over-diagnosed: Although heart attack is often undiagnosed,
leading to fatality, it can also be over-diagnosed.
People become concerned that a condition is a heart attack,
whereas there are various less...read more »
Alzheimer's disease over-diagnosed: The well-known disease of Alzheimer's disease
is often over-diagnosed.
Patients tend to assume that any memory loss or...read more »
Dementia may be a drug interaction: A common scenario in aged care is for
a patient to show mental decline to dementia.
Whereas this can, of course, occur due to various medical conditions,
such as a ...read more »
ADHD under-diagnosed in adults: Although the over-diagnoses of ADHD
in children is a well-known controversy, the reverse side related to adults.
Some adults can remain...read more »
Bipolar disorder misdiagosed as various conditions by primary physicians: Bipolar disorder (manic-depressive disorder)
often fails to be diagnosed correctly by...read more »
Eating disorders under-diagnosed in men: The typical patient with
an eating disorder is female.
The result is that men with eating disorders often fail to be diagnosed or
have a delayed diagnosis.
See ...read more »
Depression undiagnosed in teenagers: Serious bouts of depression can be
undiagnosed in teenagers.
The "normal" moodiness of teenagers can cause severe medical depression
to be overlooked.
See misdiagnosis of depression...read more »
Undiagnosed anxiety disorders related to depression: Patients with depression (see symptoms of depression)
may also have undiagnosed anxiety...read more »
Read more about Misdiagnosis and Panic disorder
Panic disorder: Research Doctors & Specialists
Research related physicians and medical specialists:
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Hospitals & Clinics: Panic disorder
Research quality ratings and patient safety measures
for medical facilities in specialties related to Panic disorder:
Hospital & Clinic quality ratings »
Choosing the Best Hospital:
More general information, not necessarily in relation to Panic disorder,
on hospital performance and surgical care quality:
Panic disorder: Rare Types
Rare types of diseases and disorders in related medical categories:
Latest Treatments for Panic disorder
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latest treatments for Panic disorder
Evidence Based Medicine Research for Panic disorder
Medical research articles related to Panic disorder include:
Click here to find more evidence-based articles on the TRIP Database
Prognosis for Panic disorder
Prognosis for Panic disorder:
fact, proper treatment reduces or completely
prevents panic attacks in 70 to 90 percent of people. Many people feel
substantial relief in just weeks or months. (Source: excerpt from Getting Treatment for Panic Disorder: NIMH)
More about prognosis of Panic disorder
Research about Panic disorder
Visit our research pages for current research about Panic disorder treatments.
Clinical Trials for Panic disorder
The US based website ClinicalTrials.gov lists information on both federally
and privately supported clinical trials using human volunteers.
Some of the clinical trials listed on ClinicalTrials.gov for Panic disorder include:
See full list of 42
Clinical Trials for Panic disorder
Statistics for Panic disorder
Panic disorder: Broader Related Topics
Types of Panic disorder
Panic disorder Message Boards
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Article Excerpts about Panic disorder
Getting Treatment for Panic Disorder: NIMH (Excerpt)
Panic disorder is very different from everyday anxiety. More than 3
million American adults have, or will have, panic disorder at some time in
their lives. Most frequently, it starts in young adulthood. Usually, it
does not go away by itself. But with proper treatment, people with panic
disorder can be helped.
(Source: excerpt from Getting Treatment for Panic Disorder: NIMH)
Understanding Panic Disorder: NIMH (Excerpt)
In panic disorder, brief episodes of intense fear are accompanied by
multiple physical symptoms (such as heart palpitations and dizziness) that
occur repeatedly and unexpectedly in the absence of any external threat.
These "panic attacks," which are the hallmark of panic disorder, are
believed to occur when the brain's normal mechanism for reacting to a
threat – the so-called "fight or flight" response – becomes
inappropriately aroused. Most people with panic disorder also feel anxious
about the possibility of having another panic attack and avoid situations
in which they believe these attacks are likely to occur. Anxiety about
another attack, and the avoidance it causes, can lead to disability in
panic disorder.
(Source: excerpt from Understanding Panic Disorder: NIMH)
Definitions of Panic disorder:
Specific psychological phenomenon characterized by sudden onset of anxiety (often unrelated to objective events), accompanied by autonomic symptoms such as tachycardia, paresthesia, flushing, and sweating.
- (Source - Diseases Database)
An anxiety disorder characterized by unpredictable panic attacks; the attacks are usually severe but brief
- (Source - WordNet 2.1)
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