Q Why did I develop panic disorder? Did I do something wrong?
A Panic disorder is not caused by a lack of willpower — it results from a complex interplay of genetics, stress, and neurobiological vulnerability.
Detailed Answer
Panic disorder has nothing to do with personal weakness. Imbalances in serotonin, norepinephrine, and GABA neurotransmitter systems, amygdala hypersensitivity, and genetic vulnerability (30–40% concordance in identical twins) are the primary causes. Prolonged stress, sleep deprivation, overwork, excessive caffeine, and sudden life changes (job change, relocation, bereavement) often serve as the trigger for a first attack. Developing panic disorder is the body and brain's way of signaling that they have reached their limit.
Korean Medicine Clinic Perspective
In Korean medicine, the Chiljeong (七情) — excessive emotional stimulation such as fear, shock, worry, and obsessive thinking — are seen to damage the Heart-Mind (심신) and create a panic-prone constitution. Prolonged anxiety, shock, and overwork deplete Heart Qi, and when the Kidney's stabilizing function declines, a state of Simshin Buljyo (心腎不交) arises. At Dongjedang, pattern-differentiation consultations include emotional causative factors to identify the root cause.
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