Assessment of Panic Disorder Across the Life Span

Panic disorder is a relatively common anxiety disorder that is often disabling. It may or may not be associated with agoraphobia. Panic disorder can be imitated by various medical illnesses, which, even when treated, can get cued with panic symptoms. It is also frequently comorbid with other psychiatric disorders including depression, generalized anxiety disorder, and substance use disorders. Although often initially seen in early adulthood, panic disorder can also present in childhood or in the geriatric population. Clinicians should thus be aware of the variability in clinical presentations that may be associated with both the pediatric and geriatric age groups. This article provides a broad overview of various screening and assessment tools used to evaluate panic disorder across the lifespan. The article also highlights some of the developmental differences and variability in the clinical presentation of pediatric and geriatric panic disorder.