Park Chang-jin, the purser on the Korean Air flight in the notorious "nut rage" incident, has extended his sick leave for another month citing extreme stress and panic disorder.
Korean Air on Sunday said Park submitted a doctor's note attesting to his need for psychological treatment.
Many people in the public eye have confessed that they suffer from panic disorder. Comedian Kim Gu-ra abruptly canceled all of his engagements because of panic disorder recently.
This has become a catch-all description of extreme stress, and more and more people are complaining of it.
Symptoms include intense anxiety at unexpected moments, which can lead to rapid heartbeat, fear, and difficulty breathing.
But the symptoms need recur for at least a month for a diagnosis of panic disorder to be made.
There is as yet no clear medical explanation, but it has been linked to acute stressors such as divorce and unemployment, and genetic factors. This happens mostly among people in their 40s but can happen as early as the late teens.
Interpersonal conflicts are a big source of stress. Top stars like Cha Tae-hyun, Kim Ha-neul, Kim Jang-hoon, Lee Byung-hun, Lee Kyung-kyu and Yang Hyun-suk have said that they experienced panic attacks.
Experts believe the reason the symptoms are more frequently found amongst celebrities is that they tend to be more sensitive to, and dependent on, other people's reactions, and often go through intense ups and downs in their careers.
An estimated 1.5 to 2.5 percent of the population are said to suffer panic disorder, and the number keeps growing rapidly, reflecting the stresses of the contemporary world.
The number of panic disorder patients jumped by 82 percent in four years from 48,151 in 2009 to 87,833 in 2013. People who tend to be dependent on others, and those who try hard to maintain harmonious relationship while withstanding all the stress seem especially prone.
There is no perfect cure and attacks tend to recur. But medication takes immediate effect, and proper treatment can help 70 to 80 percent of patients to bring symptoms under control. Counseling is necessary to explore the root cause.
