What is panic disorder?

People suffering from panic experience several physical sensations that appear suddenly and unexpectedly. In most cases, the person experiences an intense fear without knowing the reason, he/she experiences great distress with no apparent cause. This contributes to the intensification of fear.

It is likely that the heart speeds up, the person starts sweating or shaking, feels weak or unsteady. The person may feel tightness of the chest, shortness of breath, dizziness, etc...

All these sensations used to be interpreted in very catastrophic ways: a heart attack, a stroke, being dying, etc. Feelings of unreality are also very common. The person does not know what is happening and fears losing control, or even may believe that is going crazy.

These symptoms may interfere considerably in the person's daily functioning, for instance due to work absenteeism or to the frequent visits to the ER (because of the physical symptoms they may believe that they are suffering from some severe condition).

If they also start avoiding activities or situations such as shopping, going to concerts, working, and even leaving home, due to their certainty that something really bad is going to happen to them, another feature adds to panic. We refer it as Agoraphobia. In this case, the person believes that he/she would be helpless if a panic attack occurs, that nobody could help him/he. In many cases, the person can face the situations if somebody he/she trusts accompanies him/her. However, it is often the case that not even the presence of such other reassures him/her, and consequently the person avoids any place, activity or situation where a panic attack might occur.

In spite of the unpleasantness of the panic attack experience and its apparent dangerousness, the sensations are harmless and there are effective psychological treatments for this problem.

It might be that while reading this site you identify yourself with the descriptions of the problem provided above. The Test questions inquire about the presence of some of its features. Although they do not substitute the assessment process necessary to establish a clinical diagnosis, they might be considered as a first approach and a preliminary screening of the problem.

If you also experience a significant distress, or any area of your daily life (leisure, work, school, family, etc.) has been affected by this problem, you might be suffering panic attacks. However, remember: this is just a first approach to the assessment process needed before starting any treatment. If you think you might have this problem, seek professional advice so you can decide whether you want or not to receive treatment.