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Levels of "nonclinical panic"

B J Cox¹, N S Endler, G R Norton

¹Anxiety Disorders Clinic, Clarke Institute of Psychiatry, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry

|March 1, 1994

Summary

Frequent panic attacks, not infrequent ones, are linked to higher psychopathology and phobic avoidance. This suggests only frequent panickers truly represent "nonclinical panic" without seeking treatment.

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Area of Science:

Psychology
Psychiatry
Clinical Psychology

Background:

Many individuals experience panic attacks without seeking treatment, a phenomenon termed "nonclinical panic."
There is considerable variation in the frequency of panic attacks among those who do not seek treatment.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Third Edition-Revised (DSM-III-R) provides diagnostic criteria for panic attacks.

Purpose of the Study:

To compare frequent panickers, infrequent panickers, and nonpanickers on psychopathology and panic attack characteristics.
To determine if frequent panic attacks are associated with higher levels of psychological distress and avoidance.
To clarify the characteristics that define "nonclinical panic."

Main Methods:

Comparison of three groups: frequent panickers (panic within 3 weeks), infrequent panickers (panic within the past year only), and nonpanickers (no lifetime history of panic).
Assessment of psychopathology, phobic avoidance, and anxiety sensitivity.
Analysis of panic attack characteristics.

Main Results:

Frequent panickers exhibited significantly higher self-reported psychopathology and phobic avoidance compared to nonpanickers.
All three groups differed significantly in anxiety sensitivity scores.
Frequent and infrequent panickers reported similar panic attack characteristics.

Conclusions:

The findings indicate that only individuals experiencing frequent panic attacks exemplify the state of "nonclinical panic."
Infrequent panic attacks, even without treatment seeking, may not be indicative of a clinically significant anxiety state.
Anxiety sensitivity appears to be a distinguishing factor across groups with varying panic attack frequencies.

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