Anxiety symptoms in psychotic disorders

BackgroundThe prevalence of anxiety symptoms among Australians with psychotic disorders was examined as part of the Survey of High Impact Psychosis (SHIP).MethodsA two-phase design was used. Of 7,955 people who were screen positive for psychosis and eligible, 1825 participants (18-34 years and 35-64 years) were interviewed. Data were collected on symptomatology, substance use, cognitive ability, functioning, disability, physical health, mental health service utilisation, medication use, education, employment and housing. Anxiety symptomatology was divided into generalized anxiety, panic, phobic, social anxiety and obsessive-compulsive symptoms.ResultsThe most common ICD-10 diagnoses were schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder (63.0%) and bipolar (mania) disorder (17.5%). Overall, 59.8% (n = 1092) of participants reported experiencing anxiety symptoms in the previous 12 months. Female gender was highly associated with all domains of anxiety. Smoking was significantly associated with all domains of anxiety, except generalized anxiety. The presence of any depressive symptoms in the previous 12 months was significantly associated with all anxiety symptoms. Medication side-effects were associated with phobic and obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Social dysfunction was associated with social anxiety, and less so for obsessive-compulsive symptoms.ConclusionsAnxiety symptoms are common in people with psychotic disorders. Appropriate screening and treatment should be a clinical priority.