Is panic disorder a real thing?

Himy friend says she has panic disorder, I was just wondering is this a real thing or something she just made up, if so whats the symptoms of it thank you in andvance for answering.

Panic disorder is a real illness that can be successfully treated. It is characterized by sudden attacks of terror, usually accompanied by a pounding heart, sweatiness, weakness, faintness, or dizziness. During these attacks, people with panic disorder may flush or feel chilled; their hands may tingle or feel numb; and they may experience nausea, chest pain, or smothering sensations. Panic attacks usually produce a sense of unreality, a fear of impending doom, or a fear of losing control.

A fear of one鈥檚 own unexplained physical symptoms is also a symptom of panic disorder. People having panic attacks sometimes believe they are having heart attacks, losing their minds, or on the verge of death. They can鈥檛 predict when or where an attack will occur, and between episodes many worry intensely and dread the next attack.

Panic attacks can occur at any time, even during sleep. An attack usually peaks within 10 minutes, but some symptoms may last much longer. Panic disorder affects about 6 million American adults and is twice as common in women as men. Panic attacks often begin in late adolescence or early adulthood, but not everyone who experiences panic attacks will develop panic disorder. Many people have just one attack and never have another. The tendency to develop panic attacks appears to be inherited.

People who have full-blown, repeated panic attacks can become very disabled by their condition and should seek treatment before they start to avoid places or situations where panic attacks have occurred. For example, if a panic attack happened in an elevator, someone with panic disorder may develop a fear of elevators that could affect the choice of a job or an apartment, and restrict where that person can seek medical attention or enjoy entertainment.

Some people鈥檚 lives become so restricted that they avoid normal activities, such as grocery shopping or driving. About one-third become housebound or are able to confront a feared situation only when accompanied by a spouse or other trusted person. When the condition progresses this far, it is called agoraphobia, or fear of open spaces.

Early treatment can often prevent agoraphobia, but people with panic disorder may sometimes go from doctor to doctor for years and visit the emergency room repeatedly before someone correctly diagnoses their condition. This is unfortunate, because panic disorder is one of the most treatable of all the anxiety disorders, responding in most cases to certain kinds of medication or certain kinds of cognitive psychotherapy, which help change thinking patterns that lead to fear and anxiety.

Panic disorder is often accompanied by other serious problems, such as depression, drug abuse, or alcoholism. These conditions need to be treated separately. Symptoms of depression include feelings of sadness or hopelessness, changes in appetite or sleep patterns, low energy, and difficulty concentrating. Most people with depression can be effectively treated with antidepressant medications, certain types of psychotherapy, or a combination of the two.

Yes panic disorder is real. Panic disorder is an anxiety disorder and is characterized by unexpected and repeated episodes of intense fear accompanied by physical symptoms that may include chest pain, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, dizziness, or abdominal distress.

Symptoms are feelings of terror that strike suddenly and repeatedly with no warning. During a panic attack, most likely your heart will pound and you may feel sweaty, weak, faint, or dizzy. Your hands may tingle or feel numb, and you might feel flushed or chilled. You may have nausea, chest pain or smothering sensations, a sense of unreality, or fear of impending doom or loss of control.

IT TRULY IS....i know...take a deep breath , if that dunt help take another deep breath. if that still does nothing to help consult a good chiropodist...he did wunders for mine loins n cleared up bluues without puttin me in the red..........of coures that liter of old plum wine will xcure mine depression just fine....just fine.....auld lang zine!

Symptoms of a panic attack, which often last about 10 minutes, include:

Difficulty breathing.
Pounding heart or chest pain.
Intense feeling of terror.
Sensation of choking or smothering.
Dizziness or feeling faint.
Trembling or shaking.
Sweating
Nausea or stomachache.
Tingling or numbness in the fingers and toes.
Chills or hot flashes.
A fear that you are losing control or are about to die.

Yes, panic disorders are very real.

You can check out the website below for symptoms and other information

Panic disorder is a 'real thing' as you call it..something in your friend's life is bothering her. this is part of anxiety as well..panic disorder leads to physical symptoms, since the person experiencing a panic attack believes that there is something wrong with him/her..some think that they are having a heart attack..others think they are dying..as a result, palpitations occur, as well as difficulty breathing, hyperventilation, headaches, dizziness, etc..also, this person may feel like the whole world is closing in on him/her during one of these episodes..
panic disorder may be serious...so my suggestion would be getting a therapist/psychologist and figuring out what is bothering your friend..
ps..if you or your friend ever want to talk...feel free to email me..i would be more than glad to help..

I have panic disorder. The symptoms are like a normal panic attack, but what makes it a "Disorder" is the fear of having another panic attack scares us so bad it lingers in our heads and sometimes makes us avoid situations where we are likely to have panic attacks (like...out in public, driving, or crowded places).

well guess what they are real...

panic attack make you feel like your having a heart attack ..

you can feel your heart pounding all the way into your throat..

you feel like you are going to die..

you can also feel like someone is standing on your chest and they wont get off..

you feel like your watching yourself die..(well i do sometimes)...

you can feel like your not inside your body it's like your there but your not in there(if you understand what im getting at)..

some panic attacks can last from 10 minutes to well my longest has been 3 hours..

you feel like your going insane or crazy..

it's not something sufferers are happy to have and i don't think anyone would want to make this up...

you can wake in the middle of the night with an attack...

you can have one anywhere....