The relationship between illness perceptions and panic in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Elevated levels of anxiety and panic are common in respiratory disease. To date the cognitive-behavioural model of panic has been utilised to help explain and manage panic in respiratory disease. This cross-sectional study investigated the relationship between illness perceptions and panic in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) within a self-regulatory framework of adaptation to physical illness.

Fifty-nine participants with COPD completed questionnaires measuring illness perceptions, anxiety and depression, frequency and severity of panic attacks and impact of disease on daily life and well-being. The percent forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV(1)%) was used as an objective measure of lung function.

High levels of clinical anxiety and depression were reported (35% and 19% respectively). Sixty-three percent of participants reported experiencing a panic attack during the previous year and of these 51% during the previous month. Panic was unrelated to level of disease severity. Specific illness perceptions (beliefs relating to illness identity, timeline, consequences and emotional representations) were important in differentiating between panickers and non-panickers.

The results highlight the importance of assessing illness perceptions within the framework of the self-regulatory model to provide an additional theoretical perspective for investigating and managing panic in chronic respiratory disease.