[Kok! Health] If You Suddenly Avoid the Subway... You Should Suspect 'Gonghwangjang-ae' (Panic Disorder)

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-won] The lifetime prevalence of panic disorder is relatively high among mental illnesses, ranging from 1% to 4%. According to data from the National Health Insurance Service, the number of patients receiving treatment for panic disorder increased by 110% over six years, from 93,000 in 2014 to 196,066 in 2020. This rise is attributed to increased social awareness of panic disorder and reduced stigma toward psychiatric treatment, leading more patients to seek medical care.

The main symptoms of panic disorder are panic attacks characterized by sudden and severe physical symptoms such as chest tightness, difficulty breathing, and dizziness. When a panic attack occurs, most patients mistakenly believe they are experiencing serious conditions like heart attack, respiratory arrest, or cerebral hemorrhage, leading to repeated emergency room visits or related examinations, but no clear physical cause is found.

Panic disorder involves repeated extreme physical symptoms without a specific cause, which leads to anxiety about these symptoms and disrupts daily life. About half of patients experience stressful situations before symptoms appear, but like other mental illnesses, panic disorder can also occur without clear triggering factors. Various studies suggest neurobiological causes such as imbalances in neurotransmitters like norepinephrine and serotonin, and abnormalities in brain function.

Professor Baek Myung-jae of the Department of Psychiatry at Kyung Hee University Hospital stated, "Panic disorder can be diagnosed not only by panic attacks but also by anticipatory anxiety about when and where a panic attack might occur, and symptoms of avoiding confined environments such as subways or buses." He added, "Although treatments for panic disorder have steadily improved, the chronic nature and tendency for symptoms to worsen remain unchanged, so consistent self-effort is necessary alongside medication and psychotherapy."

Acute symptoms respond relatively well to medication. However, because patients often re-experience frequent panic attacks after stopping medication, long-term pharmacotherapy is sometimes maintained. This is why psychotherapy and stress management must be combined. Cognitive-behavioral therapy, which has shown good effectiveness, is increasingly being offered by medical institutions.

Professor Baek emphasized, "In addition to diligently following treatment, aerobic exercise, diaphragmatic breathing that relaxes muscles, and exercises like Pilates are recommended because symptoms manifest physically." He stressed, "Panic symptoms should be recognized not as signs of physical deterioration but as 'alarm' signals warning that if one continues to live this way, actual physical health may deteriorate later. Therefore, utmost care for both body and mind is essential."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.