After more episodes and additional medical tests, Mr. Campbell was referred to Larry Hauser, chief psychiatrist at Brackenridge Hospital in Austin. Dr. Hauser revealed the diagnosis. Panic disorder occurs suddenly and can happen at any time. Attacks usually don't last long, just a few seconds. But the suddenness and severity, doctors say, can take away the victim's peace of mind.
Sufferers experience a racing heart rate, sweating and a sense of impending doom.
Sufferers may eventually develop a sense that they're losing their minds. Panic-type disorders affect some 12 million Americans, but only about 25 percent get treatment, says Dr. Hauser. If left untreated, the affliction can cause a person to retreat from society. It's very incapacitating. In severe cases, sufferers realize they can't live such a tortured life, so they end it, Dr. Hauser says.