Most panic attacks start before the age of 30 (usually during adolescence or at the ages 26-29), but it can take years until a professional treatment and diagnosis starts. Very often a panic disorder starts in a period of major changes in life (loss of work, changes within the family, emotional distress), sometimes in a period some weeks of month after a major stress event (death of a severely ill parent).

There is a decrease of symptoms in later life (40-60), but the symptoms tend to cause secondary avoidance behavior and dysfunctional self-medication (including alcohol and benzodiazepine (More) abuse and addiction).

Some patients say that they have phases without any symptoms, but recurrent symptoms are rather common among most patients without treatment.