Continuous physiological changes and subjective reports in panic patients: a preliminary methodological report

Six panic disorder patients and six matched control subjects were studied using a new technique allowing continuous and simultaneous monitoring of physiological responses (blood pressure, heart rate, respiration) and subjective reports of anxiety and panic. This was done before, during, and after CO2 inhalation. Panic patients had significantly higher variability in their heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing rate than the control subjects. They also had irregular breathing patterns with frequent pauses. We identified three different patterns of response to CO2 inhalation in the panic patients. Some patients who panicked on CO2 showed a definite association between changes in physiological responses that preceded their subjective ratings of anxiety; however, others did not show this pattern. The possibility of different physiological mechanisms of panic in different patients is discussed.