About 37,000 people in BC suffer from panic disorder, a debilitating condition characterized by recurrent panic attacks, intense fear and anxiety. Common symptoms include heart palpitations, sweating, nausea, dizziness, numbness in the extremities, and hot or cold flashes. Panic disorder is also costly to our health care system: two-thirds of patients in Canada have sought psychiatric care, 21 per cent visited emergency departments (sometimes repeatedly), nine per cent saw a cardiologist, and 17 per cent saw a neurologist in an effort to understand their symptoms.