A young previously healthy male student suddenly experienced a fear of incapability of breathing while waiting for release from an isolation chamber at the end of a circadian rhythm experiment. He has since manifested recurrent episodes of panic disorder and has also shown slight depressive symptoms as an associated feature during the course of illness. Although it is not clear whether the disorder was induced by the 3 weeks of isolation, by the condition of living on his innate circadian rhythm or some other factor, this case appears to offer an explanation of the mechanism of panic disorder.
