What are some of the signs and symptoms of Panic Disorder? Panic disorder sufferers usually have a series of intense episodes of extreme anxiety, known as panic attacks. A panic attack can wax and wane over a period of hours or disappear within minutes. Panic attacks can occur daily or much more infrequently. They may vary by intensity and by the subset of specific symptoms of panic that are experienced. Some individuals begin avoiding situations as a result of their panic disorder, in which case their problem is diagnosed as Panic Disorder with Agoraphobia. 

Symptoms include a feeling of impending doom; a need to escape the immediate situation or avoid any circumstance from which escape is difficult or impossible; a feeling of suffocation or lack of air; sweating, numbness, tingling, heart racing, dizziness, nausea, shaking, general and severe anxiety, fear of fainting, and/or many other variants of catastrophic thinking.

I am recommending several books and workbooks just below, almost all of which originate from the cognitive-behavior therapy literature because behavioral and cognitive therapists have done prolific research, spanning 5 decades, on this disorder and have pioneered a number of effective therapies described in the books just below.

Dr. Barlow is considered by many to be the top researcher on this topic in the world, and Dr. Burns is similarly admired and respected. I went to the same internship as did Dr. Pollard and can therefore recommend his book very, very highly…and I’m also including on the “A” list a book by Dr. Claire Weekes, who was an original pioneer in the area.

Also, please take a look at some of the selections below, which offer similar perspectives but in unique, helpful ways:

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