Be positive and supportive. Fall apart later if you need to. Although depression has long been linked with suicide, scientists now think that panic is even more likely to trigger suicidal thinking and behavior. In one recent study, researchers at Columbia University found that people who suffer from panic disorder are much more likely to commit suicide than even the severely depressed. Panic disorder, which affects an estimated 1.5 percent of the U.S. population, is marked by intense anxiety, rapid heartbeat, and a fear that one is about to die or go crazy.
Researchers say the evidence linking panic to suicide is unmistakable.
In fact, they say that panic sufferers are more likely than those with any other emotional disorder to report suicidal thoughts or actions. Still, there is a bright side to the panic problem. For one thing, panic usually passes all by itself, in 90 minutes or so. For another, victims of chronic anxiety or panic are more likely to seek professional help than those reporting other emotional difficulties. Also, panic attacks are increasingly treatable through combinations of short-term drug treatment and psychotherapy. .