The person has experienced repeated unexpected episodes of panic attacks.

At least one of these panic attacks must have been followed by persistent worries lasting approximately a month or more regarding the fear of the consequences of the attack, or a specific change in the person’s lifestyle due to the experience.

During the attacks the minimum of four of the following sensations or symptoms must be experienced:

feeling that the surroundings are not quite real

Drugs or a medical condition must not have induced these attacks.

The American Psychiatric Association first officially recognized panic disorder with the publication of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (3rd edition) in 1980.The mental handicap of panic disorder afflicts roughly 1 of 75 people worldwide at any point during their lives. Panic attacks e

The suffocation alarm theory suggests that due to the common symptom of rapid breathing amongst those who suffer from panic attacks, the brain is signaling a false shortage of oxygen, or the increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Some are inclined to believe panic attacks occur in those who have developed any form of imbalance of gases in their blood enough to cause intense physical sensations.

R Reid Wilson, Ph.D., Don’t Panic (New York: Harper Perennial., 1996), 122

Additional factors involved in determining the type of treatment best fit for the patient are comorbidity considerations, such as associated disorders which the patient may also posses concurrently with panic disorder. This category includes the previously discussed agoraphobia, as well as depression or any other anxiety disorders. Should it be the case that a patient seeking treatment for panic disorder has additional conflicts, treatment plans may be altered to best fit their unique situation.

There are certain psychotherapies which may rid of panic disorder. Two of the most common therapies available for those who suffer from panic attacks are the cognitive-behavioral therapy and exposure therapy. The first shows patients ways to understand their specific thinking patterns. The reason for this is so the patient may become able to react differently to situations which stirs anxiety within them. The later involves slowly exposing those who suffer from panic disorder in order to desensitize of their fears. Exposure to specific situations the patient associates with panic attacks.

Some common words found in the essay are:
Mental Disorders, Norpramin Pertofrane, Supermarkets Theaters, NE NE, Psychiatric Association, Jerome Kagan, Dorothy I’ve, Rosenbaum Biederman, Ativan Benzodipines, panic disorder, DISORDER ANN, panic attacks, panic attack, suffer panic, suffer panic disorder, shy children, anxiety disorders, medical condition, symptoms experienced, avoiding situations, suffer panic attacks, suffer anxiety disorders, daytime attacks, parents suffer anxiety, reid wilson phd,
Approximate Word count = 2986
Approximate Pages = 12 (250 words per page double spaced)