What best describes the 'object of threat' in Panic Disorder?

• A. Catastrophic future events
• B. Bodily sensations and their interpretation
• C. External danger in daily life
• D. Interpersonal conflict

Answer: (B)

In Panic Disorder, the fear is rooted in internal bodily sensations rather than an external danger. The person experiences sudden physiological symptoms—racing heart, dizziness, shortness of breath, sweating—and believes these signals mean something catastrophic is about to happen (such as a heart attack or losing control). So the “object of threat” is the bodily sensations themselves and the interpretive fear that they signal imminent danger. This explains why treatments target these interoceptive cues—exposing people to the sensations in a controlled way helps reduce the fear that they predict disaster.