The diagnosis: A patient is afflicted by panic attacks. But his symptoms are not psychosomatic

The tall, slim man came to our cardiology department via the psychiatric clinic.

The diagnosis: A patient is afflicted by panic attacks. But his symptoms are not psychosomatic

The tall, slim man came to our cardiology department via the psychiatric clinic. The early 30-year-old seemed tense and thoughtful. He said he's been feeling bad for weeks, not sleeping, restless and his stomach "feeling kind of tight". He was in psychiatry because he had been having panic attacks with shortness of breath for weeks. He also complained of shortness of breath and heart palpitations several times a day, which frightened him. He had experienced an episode like this a few years earlier. Now the panic attacks and heart palpitations were more frequent. He had no previous illnesses.

Access to all STERN PLUS content and articles from the print magazine

ad-free

Already registered?

NEXT NEWS