Panic Disorder
Panic disorder is characterized by recurrent, intensely uncomfor table episodes known as panic attacks. Panic attacks have a sudden onset, reaching peak intensity within ten minutes. Symptoms may include trembling, shortness of breath, heart palpitations, chest pain (or chest tightness), sweating, nausea, dizziness (or slight vertigo), light-headedness, hyperventilation, paresthesias (tingling sensations), and sensations of choking or smothering. These symptoms typically disappear within 30 minutes. Many patients go to an emergency department because they think they are having a heart attack. Some patients experience panic attacks daily; others have only one or two per month. According to the American Journal of Psychiatry, the incidence of panic disorders in women is two to three times that seen in men. Onset of panic disorder usually occurs in the late teens or early twenties.