Panic disorder is characterized by repeated and unpredictable attacks of intense fear and anxiety. Agoraphobia, literally "fear of the marketplace", develops from a panic disorder in more than one-third of cases.
Review Date: 2/6/2008
Reviewed By: Christos Ballas, MD, Attending Psychiatrist, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.