People who have panic disorder with agoraphobia may spend a lot of time avoiding activities and places they fear might trigger a panic attack. Research has shown that many people have at least one panic attack in their lives. Three out of every 100 people will develop panic disorder. Of those who seek treatment of panic disorder, about two thirds have also developed some degree of agoraphobia. Panic attacks can be hidden, even from doctors.
People often worry about what others think.
They fear that this strange experience is something that doesn't happen to other people. Panic disorder usually begins in the late teens through the mid-thirties, but can also occur in children and older adults. Two thirds of patients with panic disorder are women. The tendency to have panic attacks seems to run in families. As in any disease, people with panic disorder may have complications.