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Psychiatrike = Psychiatriki 2020Panic disorder (PD) is a common anxiety disorder with severe social and health consequences in the lives of individuals who suffer from it. General population studies...
Panic disorder (PD) is a common anxiety disorder with severe social and health consequences in the lives of individuals who suffer from it. General population studies that attempt to measure the prevalence of this disorder across the world suggest that a 1.7% to 4.7 % of adults and adolescents suffer from Panic Disorder. In Greece, research analyzing the abovementioned matters is limited, and previous studies were put forward in small samples. The aim of the present study was to describe the prevalence and sociodemographic associations of panic disorder (PD) and related subthreshold panic symptoms in the general population of Greece and to appraise the comorbidity, use of services and impact on quality of life of these syndromes. This was a secondary analysis of the 2009-2010 psychiatric morbidity survey carried out in a representative sample of the Greek general population (4894 participants living in private households, 18-70 years, response rate 54%). Psychiatric disorders were assessed with the computerized version of the revised Clinical Interview Schedule (CIS-R). Quality of life was assessed with the EuroQoL EQ-5D generic instrument. The utilization of health services was examined by making relevant questions. Finally, direct questions were used to assess sociodemographic and socioeconomic factors According to our findings, 1.87% of the participants (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.50-2.26%) met criteria for PD and 1.61% met criteria for subclinical PD (95% CI: 1.26-1.96%). There was a clear female preponderance for both PD (p=0.001) and Sub-PD (p=0.01). In addition, 3.48% of the participants reported having experienced panic attacks during the past week (95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.98-4.01%). PD or subclinical PD was independently associated with a limited number of sociodemographic and socioeconomic variables especially after the adjusted analysis. Both panic related conditions involved significant reductions in quality of life and elevated utilization of health services for both medical and psychological reasons in comparison to healthy participants. In conclusion, PD and subclinical panic symptoms were common in the general Greek population with substantial comorbidity and impaired quality of life. The observed use of the general and psychological health services among adults with panic symptoms and its temporal and economic consequences calls for more efficient diagnostic and treatment policies.
Topics: Comorbidity; Female; Greece; Humans; Male; Mental Health Services; Middle Aged; Panic Disorder; Patient Acceptance of Health Care; Prevalence; Quality of Life; Risk Factors; Socioeconomic Factors; Symptom Assessment
PubMed: 33099461
DOI: 10.22365/jpsych.2020.313.201 -
Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews Oct 2014The Deakin/Graeff hypothesis proposes that different subpopulations of serotonergic neurons through topographically organized projections to forebrain and brainstem... (Review)
Review
The Deakin/Graeff hypothesis proposes that different subpopulations of serotonergic neurons through topographically organized projections to forebrain and brainstem structures modulate the response to acute and chronic stressors, and that dysfunction of these neurons increases vulnerability to affective and anxiety disorders, including panic disorder. We outline evidence supporting the existence of a serotonergic system originally discussed by Deakin/Graeff that is implicated in the inhibition of panic-like behavioral and physiological responses. Evidence supporting this panic inhibition system comes from the following observations: (1) serotonergic neurons located in the 'ventrolateral dorsal raphe nucleus' (DRVL) as well as the ventrolateral periaqueductal gray (VLPAG) inhibit dorsal periaqueductal gray-elicited panic-like responses; (2) chronic, but not acute, antidepressant treatment potentiates serotonin's panicolytic effect; (3) contextual fear activates a central nucleus of the amygdala-DRVL/VLPAG circuit implicated in mediating freezing and inhibiting panic-like escape behaviors; (4) DRVL/VLPAG serotonergic neurons are central chemoreceptors and modulate the behavioral and cardiorespiratory response to panicogenic agents such as sodium lactate and CO2. Implications of the panic inhibition system are discussed.
Topics: Animals; Brain; Humans; Inhibition, Psychological; Panic; Panic Disorder; Respiration Disorders; Serotonergic Neurons
PubMed: 24661986
DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2014.03.010 -
Human Psychopharmacology Sep 2014Many studies have investigated the efficacy and tolerability of alternative pharmacotherapy for panic disorder. This study aims to provide a comprehensive review of the... (Review)
Review
OBJECTIVE
Many studies have investigated the efficacy and tolerability of alternative pharmacotherapy for panic disorder. This study aims to provide a comprehensive review of the existing literature regarding the efficacy and tolerability of atypical antipsychotics for panic disorder.
METHODS
We searched for relevant published articles using Medline, the Cochrane database, and EMBASE on 19 June 2013. Prospective studies that examined the efficacy and tolerability of atypical antipsychotics in the treatment of primary panic disorder or comorbid panic disorder (or symptoms) in other psychiatric disorders were included in this review.
RESULTS
Seven prospective studies were included in this review. Among these, four were open-label studies for refractory panic disorder. Two of the seven included studies were randomized controlled trials among patients with panic symptoms comorbid with bipolar disorder. The remaining study was a randomized controlled trial for panic disorder or panic attack comorbid with major depression. Except one negative risperidone study, the reviewed studies showed the favorable efficacy results of atypical antipsychotics.
CONCLUSIONS
Although the majority of the evidence regarding the efficacy of atypical antipsychotics in the treatment of panic disorder comes from small, open-label studies, this review suggests the potential role of atypical antipsychotics in treating panic disorder.
Topics: Antipsychotic Agents; Bipolar Disorder; Comorbidity; Depressive Disorder, Major; Humans; Panic Disorder; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
PubMed: 25196039
DOI: 10.1002/hup.2419 -
CNS & Neurological Disorders Drug... 2015It is our aim to elaborate on the new developments in regard to the respiratory subtype (RS) of panic disorder (PD) since it was first described. We will present... (Review)
Review
OBJECTIVE
It is our aim to elaborate on the new developments in regard to the respiratory subtype (RS) of panic disorder (PD) since it was first described. We will present psychopathological features, diagnostic criteria, genetic and physiopathological hypotheses, as well as therapeutic and prognostic characteristics.
METHOD
Two searches were performed in the Thomson Reuters Web of Knowledge (http://wokinfo.com/): 1 - search terms: "panic disorder" AND ("respiratory symptom" OR "respiratory symptoms" OR "respiratory subtype" OR "respiratory panic" OR "cardiorespiratory"); 2 - all articles citing Briggs and colleagues' 1993 article "Subtyping of Panic Disorder by Symptom Profile" (Br J Psychiatry 1993;163: 201-9). Only those articles involving human subjects and written English were included.
RESULTS
In comparison with patients of the non-respiratory subtype (NRS), RS patients showed greater familial history of PD, and higher comorbidity rates for anxiety disorders and depressive disorders. These patients were also more sensitive to CO2, hyperventilation and caffeine.
CONCLUSION
Certain characteristics, such as heightened sensitivity to CO2 and the higher incidence of a family history of PD, clearly distinguished the Respiratory Subtype patients from the Non-Respiratory. Nonetheless, some studies failed to demonstrate differential responses to pharmacological treatment and CBT across the subtypes. RS patients seem to respond faster than NRS to pharmacological treatment with antidepressants and benzodiazepines, but more studies are needed to confirm this finding.
Topics: Antidepressive Agents; Benzodiazepines; Databases, Bibliographic; Humans; Panic Disorder; Respiration Disorders
PubMed: 25924997
DOI: 10.2174/1871527314666150430163142 -
Annual International Conference of the... Jul 2023Panic attacks are an impairing mental health problem that impacts more than one out of every 10 adults in the United States (US). Clinical guidelines suggest panic...
Panic attacks are an impairing mental health problem that impacts more than one out of every 10 adults in the United States (US). Clinical guidelines suggest panic attacks occur without warning and their unexpected nature worsens their impact on quality of life. Individuals who experience panic attacks would benefit from advance warning of when an attack is likely to occur so that appropriate steps could be taken to manage or prevent it. Our recent work suggests that an individual's likelihood of experiencing a panic attack can be predicted by self-reported mood and community-level Twitter-derived mood the previous day. Prior work also suggests that physiological markers may indicate a pending panic attack. However, the ability of objective physiological, behavioral, and environmental measures collected via consumer wearable sensors (referred to as digital biomarkers) to predict next-day panic attacks has not yet been explored. To address this question, we consider data from 38 individuals who regularly experienced panic attacks recruited from across the US. Participants responded to daily questions about their panic attacks for 28 days and provided access to data from their Apple Watches. Mixed Regressions, with an autoregressive covariance structure were used to estimate the prevalence of a next-day panic attack Results indicate that digital biomarkers of ambient noise (louder) and resting heart rate (higher) are indicative of experiencing a panic attack the next day. These preliminary results suggest, for the first time, that panic attacks may be predictable from digital biomarkers, opening the door to improvements in how panic attacks are managed and to the development of new preventative interventions.Clinical Relevance- Objective data from consumer wearables may predict when an individual is at high risk for experiencing a next-day panic attack. This information could guide treatment decisions, help individuals manage their panic, and inform the development of new preventative interventions.
Topics: Adult; Humans; United States; Panic Disorder; Quality of Life; Self Report; Affect; Wearable Electronic Devices
PubMed: 38083448
DOI: 10.1109/EMBC40787.2023.10339982 -
BMC Psychiatry Jun 2022The aims of this study were to conduct a cross-cultural validation of the Panic Disorder Severity Scale - Self-Report (PDSS-SR) and to examine psychometric properties of...
BACKGROUND
The aims of this study were to conduct a cross-cultural validation of the Panic Disorder Severity Scale - Self-Report (PDSS-SR) and to examine psychometric properties of the French-Canadian version.
METHODS
A sample of 256 adults were included in the validation study based on data from the baseline interview of a clinical trial on transdiagnostic cognitive-behavioral therapy for mixed anxiety disorders. Participants completed the Anxiety and Related Disorders Interview Schedule (ADIS-5), and self-report instruments including the PDSS-SR, Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Mobility Inventory for Agoraphobia (MIA), Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN), Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) and Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ). The cross-cultural adaptation in French of the PDSS-SR included a rigorous back-translation process, with an expert committee review. Sensitivity to change was also examined with a subgroup of patients (n = 72) enrolled in the trial.
RESULTS
The French version of the PDSS-SR demonstrated good psychometric properties. The exploratory factor analysis supported a one factor structure with an eigenvalue > 1 that explained 64.9% of the total variability. The confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) corroborated a one-factor model with a good model fit. Internal consistency analysis showed a .91 Cronbach's alpha. The convergent validity was adequate with the ADIS-5 clinical severity ratings for panic disorder (r = .56) and agoraphobia (r = .39), as well as for self-report instruments [BAI (r = .63), MIA (accompanied: r = .50; alone: r = .47) and SDS (r = .37)]. With respect to discriminant validity, lower correlations were found with the SPIN (r = .17), PSWQ (r = .11), ISI (r = .19) and PHQ-9 (r = .28). The optimal threshold for probable diagnosis was 9 for the PDSS-SR and 4 for the very brief 2-item version. The French version showed good sensitivity to change.
CONCLUSIONS
The French version of the PDSS-SR has psychometric properties consistent with the original version and constitutes a valid brief scale to assess the severity of panic disorder and change in severity over time, both in research and clinical practice.
Topics: Adult; Canada; Humans; Panic Disorder; Reproducibility of Results; Self Report; Severity of Illness Index
PubMed: 35761266
DOI: 10.1186/s12888-022-03989-x -
Annual Review of Clinical Psychology May 2017Panic disorder (PD) is unique among the anxiety disorders in that panic symptoms are primarily of a physical nature. Consequently, comorbidity with medical illness is... (Review)
Review
Panic disorder (PD) is unique among the anxiety disorders in that panic symptoms are primarily of a physical nature. Consequently, comorbidity with medical illness is significant. This review examines the association between PD and medical illness. We identify shared pathophysiological and psychological correlates and illustrate how physiological activation in panic sufferers underlies their symptom experience in the context of the fight-or-flight response and beyond a situation-specific response pattern. We then review evidence for bodily symptom perception accuracy in PD. Prevalence of comorbidity for PD and medical illness is presented, with a focus on respiratory and cardiovascular illness, irritable bowel syndrome, and diabetes, followed by an outline for potential pathways of a bidirectional association. We conclude by illustrating commonalities in mediating mechanistic pathways and moderating risk factors across medical illnesses, and we discuss implications for diagnosis and treatment of both types of conditions.
Topics: Cardiovascular Diseases; Comorbidity; Diabetes Mellitus; Humans; Interoception; Irritable Bowel Syndrome; Panic Disorder; Respiration Disorders
PubMed: 28375724
DOI: 10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-021815-093044 -
The Journal of Nervous and Mental... Jun 2021The objective of this study was to investigate potential correlates of dispositional optimism and quality of life in patients with depression and panic disorder. The...
The objective of this study was to investigate potential correlates of dispositional optimism and quality of life in patients with depression and panic disorder. The study used a cross-sectional design. The analyzed sample consisted of 77 participants with panic disorder and 75 participants with depression attending two outpatient clinics at the Psychiatry Institute of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. Both groups presented similar impairments in optimism and quality of life. In the panic disorder group, optimism scores were significantly correlated with a decrease in anxiety and depression scores (r = 0.26 and r = 0.37, respectively); in the depression group, increases in optimism scores were significantly correlated with decreases in anxiety and depression scores (r = 0.23 and r = 0.3, respectively). The present study showed that high anxiety and depression are correlated with poor optimism and quality of life scores in panic disorder and depression groups. Thus, psychological treatments that can address these topics, besides acute symptoms, are crucial to the absolute recovery of patients.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Anxiety; Cross-Sectional Studies; Depression; Depressive Disorder; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Optimism; Outcome Assessment, Health Care; Panic Disorder; Pessimism; Quality of Life; Young Adult
PubMed: 34037554
DOI: 10.1097/NMD.0000000000001317 -
Journal of Anxiety Disorders Aug 2014The purpose of the study was to contrast first panic attacks (PAs) of patients with panic disorder (PD) with vs. without agoraphobia and to explore differences between...
The purpose of the study was to contrast first panic attacks (PAs) of patients with panic disorder (PD) with vs. without agoraphobia and to explore differences between first PAs leading to the development of PD and those that remain isolated. Data were drawn from a community survey (N=2259 including 88 isolated PAs and 75 PD cases). An additional sample of 234 PD patients was recruited in a clinical setting. A standardized interview assessed the symptoms of the first PA, context of its occurrence and subsequent coping attempts. Persons who developed PD reported more severe first PAs, more medical service utilization and exposure-limiting coping attempts than those with isolated PAs. The context of the first PA did not differ between PD and isolated PAs. PD with agoraphobia was specifically associated with greater symptom severity and occurrence of first attacks in public. Future research should validate these findings using a longitudinal approach.
Topics: Adaptation, Psychological; Adult; Age of Onset; Aged; Agoraphobia; Disease Progression; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Multicenter Studies as Topic; Panic Disorder; Patient Acceptance of Health Care; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Young Adult
PubMed: 24973697
DOI: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2014.05.009 -
Comprehensive Psychiatry Jan 2017Trichotillomania appears to be a fairly common disorder, with high rates of co-occurring anxiety disorders. Many individuals with trichotillomania also report that...
BACKGROUND
Trichotillomania appears to be a fairly common disorder, with high rates of co-occurring anxiety disorders. Many individuals with trichotillomania also report that pulling worsens during periods of increased anxiety. Even with these clinical links to anxiety, little research has explored whether trichotillomania with co-occurring anxiety is a meaningful subtype.
METHODS
One hundred sixty-five adults with trichotillomania were examined on a variety of clinical measures including symptom severity, functioning, and comorbidity. Participants also underwent cognitive testing assessing motor inhibition and cognitive flexibility. Clinical features and cognitive functioning were compared between those with current co-occurring anxiety disorders (i.e. social anxiety, generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and anxiety disorder NOS) (n=38) and those with no anxiety disorder (n=127).
RESULTS
Participants with trichotillomania and co-occurring anxiety reported significantly worse hair pulling symptoms, were more likely to have co-occurring depression, and were more likely to have a first-degree relative with obsessive compulsive disorder. Those with anxiety disorders also exhibited significantly worse motor inhibitory performance on a task of motor inhibition (stop-signal task).
CONCLUSIONS
This study suggests that anxiety disorders affect the clinical presentation of hair pulling behavior. Further research is needed to validate our findings and to consider whether treatments should be specially tailored differently for adults with trichotillomania who have co-occurring anxiety disorders, or more pronounced cognitive impairment.
Topics: Adult; Anxiety Disorders; Cognition Disorders; Comorbidity; Depressive Disorder; Female; Humans; Male; Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder; Panic Disorder; Trichotillomania; Young Adult
PubMed: 27668531
DOI: 10.1016/j.comppsych.2016.09.005