Which term best describes a condition with extreme anxiety and recurring panic attacks, often with worry about future attacks?

• A. Anxiety
• B. Hallucinations
• C. Panic Disorder
• D. PTSD

Answer: (C)

Panic disorder is defined by recurrent, unexpected panic attacks and ongoing worry about having more attacks or a significant change in behavior to avoid them. A panic attack brings a sudden surge of intense fear with physical symptoms like a racing heart, sweating, trembling, shortness of breath, chest pain, and dizziness. When someone lives with the fear of the next attack, that anticipatory anxiety is a defining feature and can lead to avoidance of places or activities. This combination—frequent sudden attacks plus persistent fear of future attacks—best fits Panic Disorder. The other terms don’t capture this pattern: general anxiety involves persistent worry about many things without discrete panic episodes; hallucinations are false sensory experiences; PTSD centers on trauma reminders and a broader set of symptoms rather than repeated, unexpected attacks with fear of recurrence.