Panic Attack Statistics and Figures
It can happen anytime and anywhere, with little or no warning. You could be waiting in the doctor's office, trying on shoes, or making dinner when suddenly it hits: the first twinge of a panic attack. You know that what will follow will be a crippling and terrifying experience, and there's no telling how long it will last.
Finding Panic Attack Statistics
Panic attack statistics are difficult to pinpoint because panic attacks are part of an overarching disorder: either panic disorder or anxiety disorder. Panic attacks are largely seen as symptoms of these larger problems, not as a disorder unto themselves.
There are, however, panic attack statistics available if we can assume that panic disorder will always include panic attacks. While this is debated among the medical community, in the interest of brevity we will assume here that panic disorder always involves panic attacks.
Panic attacks, then, affect about 1 in 113 American adults (ages 18 to 54), or around 2.4 million people. In any given year, approximately 1.7% of the adult American population is suffering from panic attacks. The readily available panic attack statistics also suggest that women are approximately twice as likely to suffer from panic attacks as men are.
Additional panic attack statistics are available regarding the symptoms experienced by panic attack sufferers. These panic attack statistics shed some light on exactly what sufferers feel when in the grips of a panic attack.
Among panic attack sufferers, 87% reported having heart palpitations during a panic attack; 71% reported feeling dizzy or faint; 64% reported sweating profusely, and 62% reported having difficulty breathing during an attack.
Additionally, 42% of sufferers reported feeling numbness or tingling in their limbs during a panic attack; 33% reported feeling nauseous; and 18% said they felt like they were choking during a panic attack.
The panic attack statistics which were gathered from various sources regarding symptoms should not be taken as absolute fact. Symptoms are largely subjective to begin with, and when panic attack statistics are gathered from many sufferers in many different circumstances, there is always the risk of the data being skewed by the collection method. However, these panic attack statistics do provide a handy reference for an approximate idea of how prevalent each of the listed symptoms is among sufferers.
If you think that you suffer from panic attacks, your first course of action should be to visit your doctor to discuss your symptoms. Panic attacks can make life difficult and can even make you afraid to leave your home; the sooner you get help and start treatment for your panic attacks, the sooner you can get back to living your life according to your schedule instead of living around your panic attacks.
