Panic disorder is characterized by the occurrence of unexpected panic attacks that are not associated to any immediate cause or situation. An individual has panic disorder when he/she has experienced recurrent, unexpected attacks and is constantly worried about having another one for about a month. The individual may feel a sense of loss of control and a great deal of distress on account of these attacks. Panic attacks are not provoked by any notable facet of the immediate situation and may sometimes even occur in the least expected situations frightening the patent and causing a lot of agony.

The two main features of panic attacks are the short tenure for which they take place (they usually subside within minutes) and the force with which they occur. These attacks are accompanied by shortness of breath, loss of control heart palpitation, diarrhea, increased sweating, fainting and blurred vision. Panic disorder and agoraphobia or the fear of places and crowds go hand in hand.

Relationship between panic disorder and agoraphobia:

The term agoraphobia has been derived from the Greek word agora, meaning public places or assembly. The most commonly feared and avoided situations for agoraphobics include crowded places such as streets, elevators, shopping malls, movie theatres, parks, subways, queues, buses, airports, cars etc. As per research, agoraphobia is closely linked to panic disorder and develops as a complication of the latter. If an individual has had a panic attack in a public situation leading to embarrassment of from which escape was impossible, he/she is prone to developing agoraphobia. Most agoraphobics are concerned they may have a panic attack or get sick in public and go to great lengths to avoid any such situations. In severe cases, they may even confine themselves to their home, thereby disrupting normal functioning of daily life.

Panic disorder and Agoraphobia are known to share some basic properties and possibly a genetic linkage. A number of agoraphobics have a history of recurrent panic attacks and in most cases agoraphobia develops as a reaction to that. After having experienced a few panic attacks, the person begins to develop a fear of situations in which the attacks have occurred which gradually spreads to involve fear of other situations where attacks might occur.