Aim. The special interest of the study was the careful analysis of the time, context and content of different psychological traumas that the patients had throughout their lives. Methods. The author examined 75 patients suffering from panic disorder during ambulatory treatment. There were 53 women (71%) and 22 men (29%). The average age was M=44.68 years (SD=12.68), and average duration of illness was M=5.19 years (SD=6.22). Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview, Polish version 5.0.0, Panic and Agoraphobia Scale, Beck's Depression Inventory and Life Inventory were used. Results. In the group of 75 patients with severe panic disorder, women were the majority (71%). It may be due to specific trauma of suffering and/or death of an emotionally close person, which occurred in patient's adulthood. This trauma may have an impact on the aetiology of panic disorder. Women are more exposed to this sort of trauma due to their social role. Conclusion. It is possible, that psychological trauma affects the development, course and severity of panic disorder.