Do people need to have frequent panic attacks to have an anxiety disorder?

Hey, that's a good question! The short answer is no: people do not need to have frequent panic attacks in order to be diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. In fact, most people do not need to have panic attacks at all. First: what is a panic attack? A panic attack makes you feel like there's an imminent threat without any warning. Most people with panic attacks will experience physiscal symptoms such as a racing heart, sweat, chest pain, breathing difficulties, tingling feeling or numbness in the arms... These symptoms look a lot like a heart attack and that's why many people who experience a panic attack for the first time rush to the ER thinking they're having one. A panic attack on itself can involve a fear of death, and you can imagine that these symptoms will only strengthen those feelings. Anxiety disorder is an umbrella term; not one person with anxiety is experiencing the same things. A panic disorder is one of the anxiety disorders. If you're having a panic disorder, you will experience those panic attacks. The frequency and exact severity depends on the person and certain conditions (for example, lots of caffeine can worsen the anxiety). However, this is just one of the types of anxiety disorders. There's also the social anxiety disorder, where you feel overwhelmed and worry about everyday social situations. You might worry about how others judge you and you might often think you're being made fun of. This might cause a (mild) panic attack, but it doesn't have to. These feelings alone are enough to be called anxiety. Specific phobias are also part of the umbrella. When you're having a phobia, you feel intense fear for certain situations or objects, for example heights or spiders. This may trigger a panic attack, but it certainly doesn't have to. The general anxiety disorder makes you feel excessively worried and tense with little or no reason. These feelings however, are no panic attack. As you can see, there are many types of anxiety disorders and most of the time, you will not have any panic attacks at all. While those panic attacks certainly look like the worst kind, any kind of anxiety disorder can disrupt your life. No one should think that because they do not experience panic attacks, their feelings of anxiety do not matter.