Efficacy of media in motivating patients with panic disorder to visit specialists

In 97 patients who visited Akasaka Clinic, their chief complaints, the form of media which motivated patients to visit the clinic, and their DSM-IV diagnoses were examined. The media which most frequently motivated the patients were books (35%), TV programs (23%), and the Internet (16%). While many of patients complained of panic attacks, 74.2% were diagnosed as having anxiety disorder, 12% had somatoform disorder and 8% did not have any mental illness. The rate of panic disorder tended to be higher in patients motivated by TV programs (70%) and significantly lower in those motivated by the reading of books (48%). These results suggest that enlightenment of panic disorder using the media, especially that by TV programs, effectively motivates patients with panic disorder.