Panic and Phobic Disorders

Panic and phobic disorders are among the most common psychiatric syndromes. Panic disorder is a chronic illness characterized by recurrent, acute panic attacks, which are discrete episodes of anxiety or fearfulness with definite onset, rapid increase, and spontaneous termination. Phobic disorder is a chronic condition dominated by one or more phobias. Different types of phobias include specific phobias (e.g., fear of animals), social phobias (e.g., fear of public speaking), and agoraphobia (fear of being in places where help might not be available in the event of an anxiety attack). Panic disorder and agoraphobia are currently diagnosed independently of one another, but previously these diagnoses were linked diagnostically (panic disorder with or without agoraphobia and agoraphobia without panic disorder).