Diagnosis of Panic Disorder

One problem in the diagnosis of panic disorder is the involvement of physiologic symptoms that resemble a wide variety of medical illnesses. Medical conditions that can be confused with panic disorder include: 

According to the diagnostic manual, you have Panic Disorder if:

(1) Your heart raced, pounded, or skipped beats. 
(2) You were sweating profusely. 
(3) You were trembling or shaking. 
(4) You had trouble catching your breath. 
(5) You felt as if you were choking. 
(6) You had chest pain. 
(7) You felt sick to your stomach. 
(8) You felt dizzy, light-headed, or as if you were about to faint. 
(9) You felt as though everything about you was unreal or as though you were detached from your body. 
(10) You felt as though you were losing control or going crazy. 
(11) You felt as if you were going to die. 
(12) You felt numbness or tingling sensations around your mouth or in your fingers. 
(13) You felt chills or hot flushes

(1) worried a lot about having more attacks.
(2) worried a lot about whether the attacks meant you were sick or going crazy.
(3) made changes in your normal routine because of the attacks, like avoiding places or situations because you were afraid they would trigger the trouble.

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