Panic disorder and gastrointestinal symptoms: findings from the NIMH Epidemiologic Catchment Area project.
OBJECTIVE
Clinical experience and recent reports suggest that there is a high prevalence of gastrointestinal symptoms in patients with panic disorder and that there is a high prevalence of panic disorder in patients with irritable bowel syndrome, a functional gastrointestinal disorder. To assess gastrointestinal symptoms in a nonpatient, community-based sample, the authors surveyed the prevalence of gastrointestinal symptoms in individuals with panic disorder and other or no psychiatric disorders obtained in a national community survey.


METHODS
Subjects were 13,537 respondents at four sites of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Epidemiological Catchment Area project. DSM-III diagnoses were determined by using the NIMH Diagnostic Interview Schedule (DIS). Gastrointestinal symptoms were assessed from the somatization disorder section of the DIS.


RESULTS
Individuals with panic disorder had a significantly higher rate of endorsing gastrointestinal symptoms, including those typically associated with irritable bowel syndrome, than those with other or no psychiatric diagnosis.


CONCLUSIONS
Findings suggest a diagnostic overlap between panic disorder and irritable bowel syndrome, with similar demographic and clinical characteristics of patients. Limitations of the study are discussed in terms of medical assessment and self-report inventories. Practical and theoretical implications are discussed.
Lydiard
R B
RB
Institute of Psychiatry, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston 29425.
Greenwald
S
S
Weissman
M M
MM
Johnson
J
J
Drossman
D A
DA
Ballenger
J C
JC
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002391:Catchment Area, Health; D003109:Colonic Diseases, Functional / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009315:National Institute of Mental Health (U.S.); D016584:Panic Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D010555:Personality Inventory; D015995:Prevalence; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology