Panic disorder is a psychosomatic disorder characterized by a preoccupation with pain, but can be differentiated from the somatoform disorder in that panic disorder consists of an inherent psychological component. The attacks must come out of nowhere and cannot be precipitated by the threat of some external stimulus. For one month following the attack, one of these symptoms must be experienced: there must be implications of the attack, persistent concern of having another attack, and a significant change in behavior in response to the attack. Behavioral psychologists would say that this is a type of conditioning response, wherein associations develop between the attack and certain environmental circumstances, such as the place where the attack occurred. The symptoms of a panic attack consist of heart palpitations, dizziness, nausea, trembling/shaking, shortness of breath/smothering, fear of dying, numb tingly sensations, chills/hot flashes, fear of losing control/going crazy, derealization/depersonalization, sweating, chest pains/discomfort, and choking. The individual must experience at least four of these symptoms to meet diagnostic criteria for panic disorder.

"Panic disorder with agoraphobia" describes the anxiety of being in a place or situation where escape will be unlikely. Those situations or places are avoided or endured with intense anxiety. Avoidance and distress are essential elements of the definition, and an individual may go to great lengths to avoid the situation or insist on the presence of another individual who can provide comfort and security. If a person meets the criteria for agoraphobia and not the criteria for panic disorder, then the individual is diagnosed as having agoraphobia without a history of panic disorders. The prevalence of panic disorders ranges from 1.5 to 3.5 percent of the population. One third of the individuals with panic disorder have agoraphobia. Women are twice as likely as men to have panic disorder without agoraphobia and three times as likely as men to have panic disorder with agoraphobia. These gender differences may be accounted for by the fact that it is easier to explain, and viewed as more acceptable socially, for women to be housebound. Furthermore, 95 percent of individuals who have agoraphobia also suffer from panic disorders, and the other five percent probably have some other form of anxiety disorders. The age of onset for panic disorder ranges from adolescence to mid-thirties.