Panic Disorder: Fast Facts
Reviewed By:
Steven A. King, M.D.
- Most people will experience at least one panic attack in their
lifetime.
- Panic attacks are sudden episodes of fear and anxiety that
usually last for between 10 and 30 minutes.
- Symptoms of a panic attack include a racing heartbeat, heavy
perspiration and shortness of breath.
- Although panic attacks are frightening, they do not often cause
physical harm.
- Panic disorder is a condition in which a person regularly
experiences panic attacks.
- Not all people who experience panic attacks have a panic
disorder.
- Panic disorder is among the most common anxiety
disorders.
- Each year, about 2.4 million Americans experience panic
disorder, according to the National Mental Health
Association.
- In most cases, people with panic disorder experience attacks
that seem to occur randomly.
- Panic disorder is most likely to first appear sometime between
mid-adolescence and your mid-30s.
- About 30 percent of people with panic disorder use alcohol and
17 percent use illicit drugs to combat stresses brought on by panic
attacks, according to the National Mental Health Association.
- An unexpected panic attack occurs without any warning and for
no obvious reason.
- A situational panic attach tends to occur in a given set of
circumstances.
- A situationally predisposed panic attack is one that often, but
does not always, occurs in a given set of circumstances (e.g., in
crowds).
- Around one-third of all people diagnosed with panic disorder
also suffer from agoraphobia, according to the National Mental
Health Association.
- A first-degree family history of panic disorder increases a
person's risk of experiencing symptoms by up to eight times.
- People with panic disorder may have disturbed sleep patterns
because of panic attacks that occur at night.
- A person who appears to have panic disorder may be referred to
a psychiatrist or a psychologist for an evaluation.
- In the majority of cases, a combination of therapy and
medications is the most effective treatment for panic
disorder.
- Most people require only short-term therapy and concurrent use
of medication to learn to control panic attacks.
- The right treatment regimen can help reduce or prevent panic
attacks in 70 to 90 percent of patients, according to the National
Mental Health Association.
/cancer_family_89.jpg "Surviving Breast Cancer")
/doctor_89.jpg "Overactive bladder tips")