Differential Diagnoses:
1. Panic disorder [Episodic Paroxysmal Anxiety] [F41.0]: Panic disorder is a type of anxiety disorder characterized by sudden panic attacks or fear. This comes as a response to a stressful event. The DSM-5 criteria for diagnosis of the panic disorder require the occurrence of frequent panic attacks whereby one or more of the attacks follow one month after the other. Nevertheless, panic attacks can follow significant maladaptive behavior related to the attacks (Ziffra, 2021). In this case, patient reports experiencing several panic attacks and feelings of intense fear for 2 years. The patient has positive signs of distress. The client reports panic attacks that cause him difficulty in sleeping. He reports recurrent and unexpected panic attacks that occur 3-4 times every day, followed by other symptoms such as sensations of shortness of breath, shaking, flushing, and fear of death. Therefore, I choose this as a probable diagnosis.