Psychological features of subjects with idiopathic environmental intolerance.
OBJECTIVE
Idiopathic environmental intolerance (IEI) is associated with unexplained symptoms attributed to non-noxious levels of environmental substances. Clinically, some of the symptoms of IEI overlap with those of panic disorder (PD). We have recently reported a link between IEI and panic responses to a single inhalation of 35% carbon dioxide (CO(2)), a reliable panic induction challenge. This study assessed depression, stress, anxiety, and agoraphobic symptoms among IEI subjects from our previous study versus healthy controls.


METHODS
Thirty-six IEI and 37 control subjects with no preexisting psychiatric history were compared on self-report psychological questionnaires.


RESULTS
IEI subjects scored significantly higher than controls on the Agoraphobic Cognitions Questionnaire (ACQ), Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS), and Mobility Inventory for Agoraphobia (MI) (Student's t, P<.05).


CONCLUSIONS
IEI subjects represent a group with morbidity significantly higher than a control population but less than what would be expected for a clinical psychiatric population.
Poonai
N P
NP
Gage Occupational and Environmental Health Unit, University of Toronto, 223 College Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5T 1R4.
Antony
M M
MM
Binkley
K E
KE
Stenn
P
P
Swinson
R P
RP
Corey
P
P
Silverman
F S
FS
Tarlo
S M
SM
D000328:Adult; D000379:Agoraphobia / Q000150:complications*; D001007:Anxiety / Q000150:complications*; D002245:Carbon Dioxide; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000150:complications*; D018876:Environmental Illness / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016584:Panic Disorder / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000523:psychology*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications*
D002245:Carbon Dioxide