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The weight of cognitions in panic: the link between misinterpretations and panic attacks
Klara De Cort1, Dirk Hermans, Daphne Noortman
1Maastricht University, Institute for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht, The Netherlands. klaradecort@skynet.be
Plos One
|August 14, 2013
Summary
Catastrophic thinking may increase anticipatory anxiety for panic attacks but does not directly trigger them. This study explored word pairs related to panic disorder (PD) and anxiety.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
- Psychiatry
Background:
- Cognitive theory posits that catastrophic misinterpretation of bodily sensations provokes panic attacks.
- Understanding the link between catastrophic thinking and panic attack occurrence is crucial for treatment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if word pairs associated with catastrophic thinking can induce panic attacks.
- To examine the role of catastrophic thinking in panic disorder (PD) and anxiety.
Main Methods:
- A stimulus validation experiment was conducted.
- Participants (20 PD patients, 20 mixed anxiety disorder patients, 30 controls) were presented with panic-related and neutral word pairs.
- Anxiety levels were measured before and after word pair presentation.
Main Results:
- Patients with PD reported increased anxiety when exposed to panic-related word pairs compared to neutral pairs.
- No participants experienced a panic attack during the word pair presentation.
Conclusions:
- Catastrophic thinking appears linked to anticipatory anxiety concerning panic attacks.
- The study suggests catastrophic thinking is not a direct cause of panic attack occurrence.
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