Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Search research articles

Related Experiment Videos

Panic attacks in the natural environment.

J Margraf¹, B Taylor, A Ehlers

¹Department of Psychology, University of Marburg, West Germany.

The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease

|September 1, 1987

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Cold atmospheric pressure plasma for treatment of chronic wounds: drug or medical device?

Journal of wound care·2017

Same author

BMAL1 links the circadian clock to viral airway pathology and asthma phenotypes.

Mucosal immunology·2017

Same author

Virtual reality in the assessment, understanding, and treatment of mental health disorders.

Psychological medicine·2017

Same author

A prospective study of pre-trauma risk factors for post-traumatic stress disorder and depression.

Psychological medicine·2016

Same author

Post-traumatic stress influences the brain even in the absence of symptoms: A systematic, quantitative meta-analysis of neuroimaging studies.

Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews·2015

Same author

Paranoia and post-traumatic stress disorder in the months after a physical assault: a longitudinal study examining shared and differential predictors.

Psychological medicine·2013

Same journal

Efficacy and Safety of Aripiprazole in Children and Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Meta-Analysis.

The Journal of nervous and mental disease·2026

Same journal

Metacognitive Interpersonal Group Therapy for Adolescents With Personality Disorders: Results From the METAMIND-A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.

The Journal of nervous and mental disease·2026

Same journal

Activation Syndrome in Patients Diagnosed With Major Depressive Disorder for the First Time: The Role of Past Hypomania Symptoms and Atypical Depression as Risk Factors.

The Journal of nervous and mental disease·2026

Same journal

Predicting Social Motivation and Interactions in Schizophrenia: An Ecological Momentary Assessment Study.

The Journal of nervous and mental disease·2026

Same journal

Use of EQUATOR Network Templates in JNMD: The STROBE Guideline for Observational Studies.

The Journal of nervous and mental disease·2026

Same journal

Mental Illness Attributions and Their Association With Psychotherapy Change Process Expectations.

The Journal of nervous and mental disease·2026

See all related articles

This study found panic attacks share similar symptoms and triggers, regardless of being spontaneous or situational. Patients may overlook situational triggers, and tend to exaggerate attack severity retrospectively.

Area of Science:

Psychiatry
Clinical Psychology
Behavioral Science

Background:

Limited systematic information exists on panic attack phenomenology and causes.
Previous research often relies on retrospective accounts, potentially introducing bias.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate panic attacks in naturalistic settings using an event sampling method.
To compare the phenomenology of spontaneous versus situational panic attacks.
To examine physiological correlates and patient recall accuracy of panic attacks.

Main Methods:

Utilized an event sampling approach with 27 panic patients and 19 controls over 6 days.
Employed panic attack diaries, self-exposure diaries, and ambulatory heart rate/physical activity monitoring.
Compared concurrent diary data with retrospective interview and questionnaire data.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

Frequent symptoms included palpitations, dizziness, dyspnea, nausea, sweating, and chest pain.
Situational panic attacks were more severe but phenomenologically similar to spontaneous attacks.
Minimal heart rate changes observed during attacks, comparable to physical activity levels; patients showed retrospective exaggeration of attack severity.

Conclusions:

The Sheehan and Sheehan classification requiring three symptoms is not supported.
Panic patients may misclassify spontaneous attacks occurring in feared situations and exhibit recall bias.
Findings have implications for the assessment, definition, and classification of panic attacks.