Excess mortality in panic disorder. A comparison with primary unipolar depression

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Epidemiology
• Public Health

Background:

• Panic disorder is a significant mental health condition.
• Previous research suggests potential links between panic disorder and increased mortality.
• The long-term mortality outcomes for panic disorder patients require further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the long-term mortality rates of former inpatients diagnosed with panic disorder.
• To compare mortality risks in panic disorder patients with those of primary unipolar depression patients.
• To identify causes of excess mortality in panic disorder.

Main Methods:

• A cohort of 113 former inpatients with panic disorder was followed for 35 years.
• Mortality data was compared against age- and sex-specific Iowa population figures.
• A matched patient group with primary unipolar depression was used for comparison.

Main Results:

• Panic disorder patients exhibited significant excess mortality due to unnatural causes.
• Men with panic disorder also showed increased mortality from circulatory system disease.
• Suicide accounted for 20% of deaths in the panic disorder group, compared to 16.2% in the primary depression group.

Conclusions:

• Panic disorder is associated with substantial excess mortality, particularly from unnatural causes.
• Secondary conditions like depression and alcoholism may contribute to these deaths.
• The findings suggest panic disorder contributes significantly to the excess mortality previously observed in "neuroses" categories.