While specific and social phobias can certainly be debilitating, they are usually not as serious as panic disorder and agoraphobia, which will both be discusses during the second half of this course. The symptoms of a panic attack come on rapidly, reach a peak within 10 minutes, and usually fade within 20 or 30 minutes. They don't last long, but while they are going on, panic attacks can be extremely frightening.
People sometimes feel like they are going to die.
Many of the other panic symptoms, such as dizziness and faintness, probably result from hyperventilation. A frequent result of panic disorder is that people start avoiding situations that they associate with having a panic attack. There may be only a few situations they avoid, like being in crowded shopping malls or stores, but in some cases people with panic disorder start avoiding any situations that force them to be away from their own homes. This fear of being in a public place and being unable to escape if a panic attack occurs is called agoraphobia. Even though it is called agoraphobia, in most cases researchers have found that it is really more closely related to panic attacks than to phobias.