Empowering women to live healthier lives!
Panic disorder is a type of anxiety disorder. Other types of anxiety disorders include generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, social phobia, and post-traumatic stress disorders. Panic disorder affects women twice as often as men.
Panic attacks are the most common symptom of this disorder. A person is having a panic attack when they feel:
Because these attacks are so unpredictable, many women may have intense anxiety between panic attacks. While most attacks last a few minutes on average, sometimes they can last as long as 10 minutes. In rare cases, they may last an hour or more.
If you think you have an anxiety disorder such as panic disorder, the first person you should see is your family doctor. A physician can determine whether the symptoms that alarm you are due to an anxiety disorder, another medical condition, or both.
Early treatment can help keep the disease from getting worse, and people can learn effective ways to live with this disorder. Treatment options include:
Content last updated March 29, 2010.
Resources last updated March 29, 2010.
A federal government website managed by the
Office on Women's Health
in the
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health
at the
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Text size
Email
Print
Email
Print