A panic disorder is a psychological disorder whose predominant feature is recurring and repeated episodes of intense fear accompanied by other physical symptoms. In such an attack, the person may feel that they are having a heart attack or other life-threatening medical condition. A panic attack causes one of the most complex reactions in the human body, affecting the eyes, glands, brain, heart, lungs and just about every other major organ. Many people with the disorder develop intense anxiety between episodes. Persons with panic disorder will sometimes develop phobias about certain situations and places that they associate with having panic attacks. If the frequency of attacks increases, the avoidance may turn into agoraphobia or a generalized anxiety disorder.
             Panic disorders affect about 1.7% of the adult U.S. population. Approximately 2.4 million Americans suffer from panic in a given year although women seem more prone to panic disorders than men do. Panic disorder is often a chronic, relapsing illness. For many, it will get worse at times and better at others. A panic attack is an internal experience, supported by physical sensations, that one has lost control of their circumstances. The changes in mind and body occur so rapidly and suddenly that they are experienced as an "attack." Fear of another attack will also cause intense feelings of anxiety and dread. Physically, the symptoms of a panic attack closely resemble those of the sympathetic nervous system of our body. These symptoms include dilated pupils, dry mouth, heart palpations, accelerated breathing, and muscle tension. What differentiates these symptoms is the fact that they tend to be exaggerated. Instead of our body taking advantages of these symptoms, it will become overwhelmed. The more one focuses on these internal changes, the more anxious they become. It is the mind and body working together that produces a panic attack.
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