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Infrequent panic attacks: psychiatric comorbidity, personality characteristics and functional disability
W Katon1, M Hollifield, T Chapman
1Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington Medical School, Seattle 98195-2519, USA.
Journal of Psychiatric Research
|March 1, 1995
Summary
Patients experiencing infrequent panic attacks show similar functional disability and high neuroticism to those with diagnosed panic disorder. Both groups exhibit greater disability and psychiatric comorbidity than controls, highlighting the impact of panic symptoms on well-being.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Psychology
- Primary Care Medicine
Background:
- Panic attacks can significantly impair daily functioning.
- Distinguishing between panic disorder and infrequent panic attacks is crucial for understanding their impact.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the functional disability, psychiatric comorbidity, and personality traits of primary care patients with infrequent panic attacks versus those meeting DSM-III-R criteria for panic disorder.
- To establish a baseline for comparison with healthy primary care controls.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study comparing three groups: patients with panic disorder, patients with infrequent panic attacks, and healthy primary care controls.
- Assessment of social, family, and vocational functioning.
- Evaluation of Axis I psychiatric comorbidity and medical comorbidity.
- Measurement of neuroticism using the NEO personality inventory.
Main Results:
- Patients with infrequent panic attacks reported similar levels of functional disability as patients with panic disorder.
- Both panic subgroups demonstrated significantly greater functional disability than control participants.
- Both panic subgroups exhibited higher Axis I psychiatric comorbidity compared to controls, but similar medical comorbidity.
- Patients with panic disorder had more lifetime psychiatric diagnoses and current depressive symptoms than those with infrequent panic.
- Neuroticism levels were comparable between the panic subgroups and significantly higher than in controls.
Conclusions:
- Infrequent panic attacks, like diagnosed panic disorder, are associated with substantial functional disability and elevated neuroticism.
- Primary care patients experiencing panic symptoms warrant clinical attention due to their significant functional impairment and comorbidity.
- The findings suggest that the degree of functional impairment may not solely depend on meeting formal diagnostic criteria for panic disorder.