Panic Disorder & Agoraphobia: A Guide

(Excerpt 2)

Will panic disorder damage my health? Many people with panic disorder have suffered for decades without apparent injury to their health or development of the high blood pressure, ulcers, asthma, or other physical disorders that are commonly thought to result from stress.

A study of medical charts at the University of Iowa found that men and women who had probable diagnoses of panic disorder had increased rates of death from suicide, and men had increased rates of death from cardiovascular disease (heart attack, stroke, congestive heart failure) compared to a general population. Another study found no increased death rate in patients with panic disorder.

It is our strong impression that panic disorder on the whole shortens people�s lives little, if at all, and it certainly shortens life far less than do common bad habits such as smoking, intemperate drinking, and overconsumption of fatty foods. Whether or not panic disorder shortens people�s lives needs more study.