title: Panic disorder in seizure patients: a diagnostic pitfall.
abstract: Panic disorder is a psychiatric diagnosis whose main feature is paroxysmal attacks of anxiety that strike suddenly without apparent provocation. Physicians explain the attacks as an ictal phenomenon in patients with known seizures because of their similarities to complex partial seizures. We report eight patients with seizures and panic disorder. Recognition of a second diagnostic entity resulted in a beneficial change in treatment in six of the eight. We did not find an increased incidence of panic disorder in our seizure clinic population as compared with the general population.
authors.affiliation: University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver 80262.
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Spitz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002648:Child; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004833:Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D010200:Panic; D012640:Seizures / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy
chemical_list: D000927:Anticonvulsants