Panic disorder in patients attending a clinic for vestibular disorders

In a study of the prevalence of panic and other anxiety disorders in persons with complaints of dizziness, 87 patients referred to a clinic for vestibular disorders completed self-rating measures of anxiety and depression; 32 also underwent a structured diagnostic interview. Thirteen (14.9%) of the patients met the DSM-III-R criteria for panic disorder, agoraphobia, or both. They rated themselves as much more disabled by their dizziness than the patients with no psychiatric disorder. Panic disorder was equally prevalent among patients with and without vestibular disease. In some cases panic disorder may provide an explanation for the dizziness, whereas in others it may be a comorbid condition compounding the disability attributable to the vestibular disorder.