Panic Disorder is not
solely a chemical imbalance. Many of us here have developed severe reflux and gastro problems due to this disorder, food allergies, and real physical problems (fevers, ulcers, seizures). There's evidence that shows that it is not only an imbalance:
here is a quote from "ahealthieryou.com": (mods, please remove if i'm breaking the rules here)
"Now we regard panic disorder as more of a physical problem with a metabolic core. It is not an emotional problem, although after suffering from it, emotionally healthy persons may develop depression or other problems. There are different theories about where in the nervous system the problem exists.
There is considerable evidence pointing toward an abnormality in the function of the locus ceruleus and its associated nerve pathways. The locus ceruleus is a tiny nerve center in the brainstem (the part of the brain that controls heartbeat, breathing and other vital functions).
A few experts still cling to the notion that this is not a physical disorder. The overwhelming opinion by the experts is that scientific evidence clearly favors there being a physical cause of this disorder. It is regarded as a physical disorder much like Diabetes or Pneumonia."
CHROMOSOME 15
"At a meeting of the Human Genome Organization in Edinburgh Scotland in 2002, Dr. Xavier Estevill, head of medical and molecular genetics at the Duran I Rynals Hospital in Barcelona Spain, discovered that a gene on some other chromosome, or some environmental factor early in development, may cause in some people an abnormality of chromosome 15. This defect may in turn make people more susceptible to panic attacks. It seems this genetic abnormality of chromosome 15 is not inherited because it is not present in all of the cells of those affected. Although this has been observed to occur in plants, this is the first discovery of such a chain of events in humans. Almost 100% of those with panic disorder or phobias had the duplication of genetic material on chromosome 15.