As the number of panic disorder patients who experience extreme anxiety symptoms due to sudden severe fear soared sharply, the total medical expenses from health insurance due to panic disorder also exceeded 90 billion won ($68.5 million).

Notably, patients in their 40s who were frequently exposed to social and economic stress accounted for the largest share.

The National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) Thursday released the result of its analysis of the treatment of panic disorder over the past five years. The state health insurance agency said the number of panic disorder patients jumped 44.5 percent from 138,737 in 2017 to 200,540 in 2021, marking an increased rate of 9.6 percent on the annual average.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, the growth rate of panic disorder patients slowed to 4.6 percent in the 2019-2020 period, half of the annual average increase rate but sharply rebounded to 12.9 percent in the 2020-2021 period.

In 2021, the number of panic disorder patients who received treatment was highest among people in their 40s. The number of patients aged 40-49 totaled 46,924, 23.4 percent of the total, followed by those in their 50s, with 38,519 (19.2 percent), and 30s, with 36,722 (18.3 percent).

“It is because people do not treat symptoms in early adulthood but begin treatment after it aggravated or they don’t receive treatment continuously, making it a chronic disease or experiencing recurrence,” said Professor Park Jae-seop of the Psychiatry Department at the NHIS Ilsan Hospital, while explaining the reason for the high share of patients in their 40s.

Professor Park noted that 40-something people are frequently exposed to various social and economic stress, vulnerable to the outbreak or recurrence of panic disorder. They also visit hospitals more often due to other health problems, such as hypertension and diabetes, and begin the treatment of panic disorder simultaneously, he added,

In 2021, the number of people who received treatment for panic disorder stood at 390 per 100,000 people, up 43.4 percent from 272 in 2017. By age, those in their 40s recorded the largest number with 570, followed by 524 in their 30s and 447 in their 50s.

Health insurance’s treatment expenses for panic disorder patients also nearly doubled during the five years. As a result, the medical cost jumped 83.5 percent from 49.56 billion won in 2017 to 90.96 billion won in 2021, recording an annual average growth rate of 16.4 percent.

Per person medical cost rose 27 percent from 357,227 won in 2017 to 453,583 won in 2021. By age, teenage patients showed the sharpest per capita treatment cost increase of 511,000 won.