People with panic disorder have feelings of terror that strike
suddenly and repeatedly with no warning. They can’t predict when
an attack will occur, and many develop intense anxiety between
episodes, worrying when and where the next one will strike.
If you are having a panic attack, most likely your heart will
pound and you may feel sweaty, weak, faint, or dizzy. Your hands
may tingle or feel numb, and you might feel flushed or chilled.
You may have nausea, chest pain or smothering sensations, a
sense of unreality, or fear of impending doom or loss of
control. You may genuinely believe you’re having a heart attack
or losing your mind, or on the verge of death.
Panic attacks can occur at any time, even during sleep. An
attack generally peaks within 10 minutes, but some symptoms may
last much longer.
Panic disorder affects about 2.4 million adult Americans and is
twice as common in women as in men. It most often begins during
late adolescence or early adulthood. Risk of developing panic
disorder appears to be inherited. Not everyone who experiences
panic attacks will develop panic disorder-for example, many
people have one attack but never have another. For those who do
have panic disorder, though, it’s important to seek treatment.
Untreated, the disorder can become very disabling.
Many people with panic disorder visit the hospital emergency
room repeatedly or see a number of doctors before they obtain a
correct diagnosis. Some people with panic disorder may go for
years without learning that they have a real, treatable illness.
Panic disorder is often accompanied by other serious conditions
such as depression, drug abuse, or alcoholism4,5 and may lead to
a pattern of avoidance of places or situations where panic
attacks have occurred. For example, if a panic attack strikes
while you’re riding in an elevator, you may develop a fear of
elevators. If you start avoiding them, that could affect your
choice of a job or apartment and greatly restrict other parts of
your life.
Some people’s lives become so restricted that they avoid
normal, everyday activities such as grocery shopping or driving.
In some cases they become housebound. Or, they may be able to
confront a feared situation only if accompanied by a spouse or
other trusted person.
Basically, these people avoid any situation in which they would
feel helpless if a panic attack were to occur. When people’s
lives become so restricted, as happens in about one-third of
people with panic disorder,2 the condition is called
agoraphobia. Early treatment of panic disorder can often prevent
agoraphobia.
Panic disorder is one of the most treatable of the anxiety
disorders, responding in most cases to medications or carefully
targeted psychotherapy.
You may genuinely believe you’re having a heart attack, losing
your mind, or are on the verge of death. Attacks can occur at
any time, even during sleep.