What Are The Main Panic Disorder Diagnostic Criteria

Panic disorder is a condition which involves recurrent unexpected panic attacks which cause the sufferer concern and distress, and cause a significant change in the behaviour of the patient. Panic attacks which are caused by a quantifiable outside source, such as medication, are not considered to cause panic disorder.

The key panic disorder diagnostic criteria are considered to be the occurrence of some or all of the following symptoms. The symptoms tend to develop suddenly and reach a peak within a few minutes:

• Palpitations or a greatly increased heart rate
• Sweating
• Shaking or trembling
• Feelings of being smothered or short of breath
• Choking sensation
• Chest pain
• Nausea or stomach pain
• Dizziness
• Feeling detached or as if your surroundings are not real
• Fear of loss of control
• Fear of death
• Numbness and tingling
• Hot or cold flushes

Patients who meet four or more of the above described panic disorder diagnostic criteria are considered to have a panic disorder under the DSM-IV. The diagnostic criteria may be altered slightly under future versions of the DSM, however they are unlikely to change significantly.

The most common symptom of a panic attack is an accelerated heart rate, which is reported by 97% of patients. Dizziness is the second most common symptom, and paresthesias (numbness and tingling) is the third most common symptom. A patient must have multiple panic attacks, and must have persistent concern over the possibility of future attacks, for the attacks to be classified as part of a disorder.

In some cases, a patient may suffer from panic attacks but not be diagnosed as having panic disoder, because the attacks can be accounted for by a different disorder. For example, someone with Social Phobia, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder or a Specific Phobia may suffer from panic attacks as a result of their condition. In this case, the attack can be accounted for by exposure to a feared or discomfiting situation. Such sufferers can often learn to manage their panic attacks as a part of learning to cope with their existing condition.

Panic disorder is a serious but manageable condition that can affect both adults and children. If you think that you or someone you know suffers from panic disorder, seek advice from a qualified medical professional as soon as possible and explain which panic disorder diagnostic criteria you feel they meet. In many cases, people with panic disorder can learn to control their condition and go on to lead relatively normal lives with outside assistance.

Tips To Diagnose Panic Disorder Without Agoraphobia

Do you know someone that is having panic attacks and also has an unnatural fear of the places and things that could bring on those panic attacks? Then it is possible they suffer from panic disorder with agoraphobia, however it is also possible to suffer from panic disorder without agoraphobia as well. Let's take a look at the differences between the two diagnosis so you can better understand and help this person.

First of all, panic disorder shows itself in panic attacks that come at unexpected times and recur fairly frequently. Also, people that have these attacks are usually so traumatized by them that they develop a fear of having another. A panic attack is typically characterized when a person is having and overwhelming sense of panic that is also combined with shortness of breath and an unusually rapidly beating heart. Another part of this disorder includes the constant worry of having a medical condition that medical professionals cannot find, and this worrying usually continues for months.It's possible to have panic disorder without agoraphobia, but the two are commonly connected.

Agoraphobia is usually combined with panic disorder and it is the fear of having another attack along with extreme avoidance of any situation where one could have another panic attack. There would be an extreme anxiety and fear of any place where the person has had a panic attack or believes strongly that they can have another panic attack. This fear is extreme and no amount of convincing is enough for them to overcome this fear. Eventually the fear becomes generalized to include nearly everything outside of home, especially crowded locations, as these are especially prone to panic attacks.

So, if you are experiencing the panic attacks with all of the psychological and physiological indications, plus, you also have the a natural fear in the extreme, of any place that you could have these panic attacks that is generalized to the whole of out-of-doors, then you most likely have panic disorder with agoraphobia. If on the other hand you can still leave your home, and you don't have an avoidance problem with crowded places, noisy places, or busy places, then you most likely have panic disorder without agoraphobia. Although this is a fairly easy way to diagnose your problem, it is always best to check with the medical professional who specializes in these types of disorders to be sure.