Panic Disorder (PD) consists of sudden attacks of terrible fear that occur without warning, come on suddenly, and usually do not last more than fifteen excruciating minutes. The emotions of fear and terror are usually accompanied by physical symptoms like shortness of breath, chest pain, nausea and even diarrhea, trembling, chills and sweats, and others. People who have had panic attacks sometimes worry about having other panic attacks, and this worry can sometimes lead the person to avoid leaving home (agoraphobia). PD often starts with one very memorable panic attack in response to a particular circumstance, but then the panic attacks become independent of stimulus and occur unpredictably.
