Personality profiles in patients referred for chest pain. Investigation with emphasis on panic disorder patients.
Patients (N = 199) referred to cardiac outpatient investigation because of chest pain were assessed with the Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire (PDQ-4). Thirty-nine percent scored positive for any personality disorder. Borderline and avoidant personality disorders were found significantly more often in patients with panic disorder (PD) (n = 72) than in patients without PD (12.5% vs. 2.5%, 23.7% vs. 7.7%, respectively). In PD patients, the presence of any personality disorder was significantly associated with higher scores of self-reported anxiety-agoraphobia symptoms, neuroticism, and the presence of suicidal thoughts. These results suggest that personality pathology is important in a subgroup of patients presenting with chest pain and that these patients may require more extensive treatment.
Dammen
T
T
Department of Psychiatry, Ullevål University Hospital, Oslo, Norway. toril.dammen@psykiatri.uio.no
Ekeberg
O
O
Arnesen
H
H
Friis
S
S
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002637:Chest Pain / Q000523:psychology*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016584:Panic Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D010348:Patient Care Team; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012017:Referral and Consultation