Center
for Anxiety and Related Disorders
AT
BOSTON UNIVERSITY
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Symptoms of Panic Disorder
Recurrent unexpected panic attacks and where at least one of the attacks has been followed by at least one month of one or more of the following:
- A persistent concern about having additional attacks
- Worry about the implications or consequences of the attack (e.g., losing control, or having a heart attack)
- A significant change in behavior related to the attacks
- The presence, or absence, of agoraphobic symptoms
- The panic attacks are not due to the direct physiological effects of a substance (e.g., a drug of abuse, a medication) or a general medical condition (e.g., hyperthyroidism)
- The panic attacks are not better accounted for by another mental disorder, such as social phobia (e.g., the panic attacks occur only when exposed to a feared social situations), specific phobia (e.g., upon exposure to a specific phobic situation), obsessive-compulsive disorder (e.g., when exposed to dirt in someone with an obsession about cleanliness), posttraumatic stress disorder (e.g., in response to stimuli associated with a severe stressor), or separation anxiety disorder (e.g., in response to being away from home or close relatives)
Symptoms of Agoraphobia
- Anxiety about being in places or situations that lead to avoidance of:
- Being alone outside the home or being home alone
- Being in a crowd of people
- Traveling in a car, bus, or plane
- Being on a bridge or elevator
- Inability to or extreme dread of experiencing feared situations
- Avoidance of situations may impair an individual’s ability to engage in everyday tasks