Question: One of the questions in a recent column included the following: "I seem to have spells where it feels as though adrenalin is rushing through my body. I have been tested for diabetes. Do you think it could be my adrenal glands? What else?" This sounds to me like panic disorder.

Dr. Hibberd's Answer:

You are absolutely correct. Perhaps upwards of 70% of complaints seen in the doctor's office have an emotional base. The symptoms described certainly do fit with panic disorder, but as an emergency physician, I have to exclude potentially life-threatening conditions, such as heart attack, even though they are probably less likely than simple anxiety. I deal with the balance between statistical probability and life and death on a daily basis, so forgive the occasional lack of emphasis on psychological causes in my comments.