Derealization and panic attacks: a clinical evaluation on 150 patients with panic disorder/agoraphobia

Compr Psychiatry. 1989 Jan-Feb;30(1):5-12. doi: 10.1016/0010-440x(89)90112-0.

Abstract

One hundred fifty patients with Panic Disorder (PD) with or without Phobic Avoidance were subdivided into two groups on the basis of presence/absence of derealization and/or depersonalization (D-D) during panic attacks. D-D was found in 34.7% of the sample. By comparing the two groups, the patients with D-D were found to be younger and had an earlier onset of the disorder; they had a higher prevalence of avoidance behavior and a higher severity of the agoraphobic spectrum phobias. They were also more frequently subject to concomitant disorders such as Generalized Anxiety, Obsessive-Compulsive, and depressive symptomatology. The authors have hypothesized a correlation between the presence of D-D during panic attacks and a more frequent clinical evolution toward agoraphobia. This view is supported by finding that D-D in panic attacks corresponds to severer forms of PD, both in terms of the earlier onset of PD, and because PD shows higher levels of anxiety, depression, and disability.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Agoraphobia / psychology*
  • Anxiety Disorders / psychology
  • Depersonalization / psychology*
  • Depressive Disorder / psychology
  • Fear*
  • Female
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / psychology
  • Panic*
  • Phobic Disorders / psychology*
  • Psychological Tests
  • Somatoform Disorders / psychology