Panic Disorder is a form of Anxiety Disorder, and is suffered by up to 2.4 million Americans each year. It is classified by those who suffer from frequent and unprovoked panic attacks, along with feelings of anxiety about when and where the next attack will take place. (www.nimh.nih.gov) Signs of this disorder usually begin at the end of adolescence, ages 18-24. They can be due to hereditary factors, or stress. Although it is undetermined why, women are twice as likely to develop the disorder. (http://panicdisorder.about.com)

Although panic attacks can be a normal thing, and

Often times these sensations can run in a vicious circle around the person afflicted with the disorder. When the symptoms occur, people become afraid (experiencing a fear of dying or feeling a loss of control or sanity). This fear can often trigger even more of the symptoms to initiate. I.E. A person begins to have a panic attack, their heart begins to pound quickly, they begin to feel like they are in a dream-like state, they begin to feel nauseas and sweat. Because this feeling of terror is superfluous, the person then begins to experience fear of why he or she is feeling this way. This feeds further into the attack, heightening its severity and intensity.

Treatment of Panic Disorders includes behavioral and cognitive therapies, pharmacology, or a combination of the two techniques. Cognitive therapies would help the patient to change their thought processes concerning the onset of the attacks or even during the attacks. This would minimize the frequency of the attacks or perhaps the duration. Behavioral therapies would involve breathing retraining, in order to help the patient regain control during an attack. Pharmacological therapies experiment with the success of using antidepressants, MAO inhibitors, as well as very potent benzodiazepines. (http://text.nlm.nih.gov) Usually therapy would entail weekly sessions for about 8-12 weeks. Panic Disorder is a very treatable ailment when properly diagnosed and dealt with.

Panic attacks provoke very intense feelings of distress in those who suffer from them. People describe a variety of very disturbing symptoms when experiencing such an episode. Many experience the feeling of impending death, and feelings that there surroundings are "surreal". Physical symptoms include a significantly increased heartbeat, sweating, hot flashes, pain in the chest, shortness of breath, trembling of legs and hands, the sensation of "butterflies"

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