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Panic Disorder - Introduction and Definition

Panic disorder is an extremely unpleasant condition that is considered to be a type of anxiety disorders. Individuals who suffer from panic disorder experience panic attacks which is characterized as an abrupt and unexpected surge of overpowering fear. Panic attacks may happen anytime and anywhere without so much as a warning and for no apparent reason at all. Depending on the individual, panic attacks can last from a minute to 1 or several hours.

In between panic attacks, extreme and overwhelming anxiety may develop since panic attacks happen without warning and are therefore very unpredictable. Sufferers constantly worry when another panic attack will occur.

The Statistics on Panic Disorder Prevalence

Panic disorder is actually a prevalent disorder and an estimated 2.4 million or 1 in 113 Americans suffer from it. Annually, an estimated 1.7% or 1 in 58 adult Americans with ages ranging from 18 to 54 suffer from panic disorder. Moreover, an estimated 1.5% - 3.8% and up to 15% of all Americans are very likely to suffer from a panic attack at some point in their existence.

Panic disorder in women is more prevalent than in men and the possibilities of panic disorder doubles for women. In addition, panic attacks in women have a double possibility rate of recurrence even after the panic disorder has been treated.

Panic disorder may occur at any point in a person’s life but more prevalently in early adulthood and mid teens. However, people aged between 25 to 44 are at maximum risk of developing panic attacks. Statistically, well educated, married people who have families and a steady job have a smaller possibility of developing panic disorder than those people who had only acquired minimal education or none at all.

Panic Disorder and Related Conditions

Individuals who suffer from panic disorder feel very frightened since they don’t really know what is happening to them - more so the reasons why it is happening to them. Furthermore, panic attacks can be extremely frightening and dangerous since most individuals who suffer from panic disorder also suffer from other severe problems such as depression, alcoholism, substance abuse and phobias. But if they are not suffering from these conditions, their panic attacks can lead to these conditions when not prevented and treated via natural coping mechanisms of the psyche.

One of the most common conditions normally associated with panic disorder is phobia. Usually, when people experience panic attacks in a particular place or if they experience it in the same place a couple of times, they tend to develop a phobia to the actual place where the panic attack/s occurred.

As a consequence of the phobia, the person may greatly avoid going back to the place where the panic attacks occurred and what happens is that it greatly hinders the person from going about his/her normal activities. Just imagine if the panic attack happened at a grocery store. How then can the sufferers go about their grocery shopping when they don’t want to go even close to the same place for fear of having another panic attack? As a result, agoraphobia is developed which happens in about 1/3 of all people suffering from panic disorder.

Panic Disorder - Introduction, Statistics and Related Conditions