What percentage of individuals with Panic Disorder develop Agoraphobia?

• A. 10-20%
• B. 20-30%
• C. 30-50%
• D. 50-70%

Answer: (C)

Panic disorder often leads to agoraphobic avoidance because fear of having a panic attack in places where escape feels hard makes people limit where they go. Over time, this avoidance can meet the criteria for agoraphobia in addition to panic disorder. In research, roughly one-third to one-half of individuals with panic disorder develop agoraphobia at some point, so the range that best fits the typical data is 30-50%. This reflects a substantial minority, not a majority.

The other ranges underestimate or overstate the link: 10-20% is too low given the frequent co-occurrence, 20-30% is still low, and 50-70% would imply that most people with panic disorder develop agoraphobia, which isn’t supported by the usual findings.