Which anxiety disorder is defined by unpredictable minutes-long episodes of intense dread with chest pain and fear of next attack?

• A. Agoraphobia
• B. Generalized Anxiety Disorder
• C. Social Anxiety Disorder
• D. Panic Disorder

Answer: (D)

The core idea here is how panic attacks define a specific anxiety disorder. Unpredictable, minutes-long episodes of intense dread accompanied by chest pain and a fear of having another attack are the hallmark of a panic attack. When such attacks occur repeatedly and the person develops persistent worry about when the next one will occur or changes their behavior to avoid future attacks, the diagnosis is Panic Disorder. The emphasis is on the sudden, recurrent attacks and the resulting fear about future attacks that drives avoidance or behavioral changes.

Agoraphobia focuses on avoiding places where escape might be hard during a panic attack, but it’s about avoidance rather than the attacks themselves. Generalized Anxiety Disorder involves chronic, excessive worry across many topics rather than discrete panic episodes. Social Anxiety Disorder centers on intense fear of social or performance situations due to potential judgment, not on panic attacks.