anxiety disorder panic disorder An anxiety disorder that 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. DOID:594 EFO:0004262 MSH:D016584 NCI:C34890 OMIM:167870 OMIM:607853 OMIM:609985 SNOMEDCT_2010_1_31:191705007 SNOMEDCT_2010_1_31:192400001 SNOMEDCT_2010_1_31:268627007 SNOMEDCT_2010_1_31:371631005 UMLS_CUI:C0030319 Xref MGI. disease_ontology panic anxiety syndrome Psychiatric disorder in which debilitating anxiety and fear arise frequently and without reasonable cause. MFOMD_0000026 Anxiety itself is the major disturbance in this disorder, which is characterized by severe frightening episodes of apprehension and feelings of impending doom. These episodes are often described as horrible and can last from a few minutes to several hours. According to DSM-IV-TR, a diagnosis of panic disorder includes recurrent unexpected panic attacks and at least one month of apprehension over having another attack or worrying about the consequences of an attack. The attacks are especially fared because they often occur unpredictably and without warning. Many patients report a disturbed childhood environment that involved anxiety over separation from parents, family conflicts, or school problems. Others indicate that they first experienced after some forms of separation, such as leaving home, or after the loss or threatened loss of a loved one. "Understanding abnormal behavior". David Sue, Derald Wing Sue, Stanley Sue. Individuals with panic disorder report intense panic attacks alternating with periods of somewhat low anxiety, during which they may be apprehensive about having another panic attack. Some physical symptoms that the people report during the attack are: - breathlessness - sweating - choking - nausea - heart palpitations. An example of a patient describing her feelings is this: “ It happened so suddenly. Without warning I felt like I had been swept up in a tornado! … my pulse was pounding, my palms were drenched with sweat, and my throat was closing up, leaving me gasping for air. I felt paralyzed with fear, convinced I was going to die.“ trastorno de pánico