11 Facts About Panic disorder

Studies investigating the relationship between interoception and panic disorder have shown that people with panic disorder feel heartbeat sensations more intensely when stimulated by pharmacological agents, suggesting that they experience heightened interoceptive awareness compared to subjects without PD.

Panic disorder has been found to run in families, which suggests that inheritance plays a strong role in determining who will get it.

Individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder show a much higher rate of panic disorder than the general population.

Substance use disorder began prior to the onset of panic and substances were used to self-medicate for panic attacks by only a few subjects.

People who have panic disorder are more sensitive to the anxiety-provoking effects of caffeine.

One such mediator is the partial pressure of carbon dioxide, which mediates the relationship between panic disorder patients receiving breathing training and anxiety sensitivity; thus, breathing training affects the partial pressure of carbon dioxide in a patient's arterial blood, which in turn lowers anxiety sensitivity.

DSM-IV-TR diagnostic criteria for panic disorder require unexpected, recurrent panic attacks, followed in at least one instance by at least a month of a significant and related behavior change, a persistent concern of more attacks, or a worry about the attack's consequences.

Panic disorder is a serious health problem that in many cases can be successfully treated, although there is no known cure.

Several studies show that 85 to 90 percent of panic disorder patients treated with CBT recover completely from their panic attacks within 12 weeks.

Panic disorder is not the same as phobic symptoms, although phobias commonly result from panic disorder.

Panic disorder can continue for months or years, depending on how and when treatment is sought.