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.