Panic disorder

Meet one of the most common psychological disorders! It meets people regardless of their intelligence, education or strength of personality. Fear and anxiety are normal and important emotions in everyone's life, but problems arise when they occur too often, last too long, and their intensity is disproportionate to the situation. Panic disorder is very stressful and severely limits quality of life.

Every physician repeatedly encounters patients who suffer from sudden attacks of palpitations, shortness of breath, dizziness without an identifiable cause, or are afraid of situations that people are not normally afraid of. They then undergo a round of tests that often lead to misdiagnosis and unsuccessful treatment in somatic wards. The diagnosis and treatment of these problems are primarily the domain of psychiatry.
The publication is intended mainly for clinicians, psychiatrists and psychologists who deal with patients with panic disorder both diagnostically and therapeutically. The authors discuss:

- diagnosis, etiopathogenesis and treatment of this serious psychiatric disorder,
- description of comorbidity and differential diagnosis,
- social aspects of the disorder, including stigma and self-stigma.

The treatment section presents the most important pharmacological and psychotherapeutic procedures, including current algorithms.