Panic Disorder: An Overview
- Reviewed22 May 2023
- Author Alison Davis
- Source BrainFacts/SfN
Up to 11% of people in the United States experience a panic attack every year. But not everyone who has a panic attack has panic disorder. For some, panic attacks occur multiple times without warning or a specific trigger. What’s more, they are not brought on by other physical or mental health conditions.
Panic disorder is a type of anxiety disorder characterized by sudden, unexpected bouts of intense, irrational fear and frightening physical symptoms such as difficulty breathing, a racing heart, sweating, and dizziness. It affects 2.7% of U.S. adults and about the same proportion of teens, making it more common than obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
Panic attacks typically last several minutes or sometimes longer. Because the attacks occur unpredictably, people who experience them often live in fear of having an attack in public or while driving — further increasing their anxiety. About half of people with panic disorder also have mood disorders such as depression or bipolar disorder, as well as other psychiatric illnesses like OCD, phobias, and schizophrenia. Panic disorder is usually treated with psychotherapy, medications, or a combination of these. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are the primary drugs used for panic disorder, although benzodiazepines can be used in emergencies.
Adapted from the 8th edition of Brain Facts by Alison Davis.
About the Author
Alison Davis is a senior science writer and science-policy strategist. Alison earned a B.S. in biochemistry from Virginia Tech, a Ph.D. in pharmacology from Georgetown, and did a post doc in Developmental Biology at Stanford, after which she completed the Science Communication program at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
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