Panic Disorder is an affliction which causes sufferers to experience sudden and repeated episodes of intense fear, accompanied by physical symptoms, such as chest pains, heart palpitations, breathlessness, vertigo, or abdominal distress. In some cases, panic attacks can cause individuals to lose consciousness.
It is common for sufferers of Panic Attack Disorder to experience severe anxiety between panic attacks, as well as develop phobias of certain places or situations in which panic attacks have occurred in the past. As panic attacks become more frequent, one may begin to develop Agoraphobia, which causes the inability to leave familiar, safe surroundings because of intense fear and anxiety.
Psychologists are able to help sufferers of Panic attack disorder identify causes, and assist in preventing further attacks by using stress management techniques and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT).