How can classical conditioning be used to explain the development of a panic disorder?

Classical conditioning is a type of learning that is related to the development of panic disorder (see explanation below).

Explanation:

Classical conditioning - This is used in the subject of Psychology. This is also known as "Pavlovian or respondent conditioning."

Panic Disorder - This is a type of anxiety disorder that causes a person to have an intense fear of something or someone. A person with panic disorder experiences sweating, trembling, shortness of breath, rapid and pounding heart rate, hot flashes and many more.

Neutral Stimulus - In Science, "neutral stimulus" is defined as a stimulus which initially produces no specific response other than focusing attention.

Conditioned Stimulus - When the neutral stimulus becomes conditioned, it turns into a conditioned stimulus.

It is said that anxiety such as panic disorder can be learned. This is possible with classical conditioning. For example, a woman always goes to the bookstore to buy a book every week. The neutral stimulus here is the bookstore. Then, one day, the bookstore owner placed his unfriendly dog in front of the shop. The woman went to the bookstore the following week but she could hardly enter the bookstore because the dog kept barking at her. Now, she becomes anxious or in panic. The bookstore now becomes a conditioned stimulus. The woman has now learned that whenever she goes to the bookstore, the dog will bark at her. It becomes a cue to treat.