title: Brazilian patients with panic disorder: the use of defense mechanisms and their association with severity.
abstract: This study aims to evaluate the defense mechanisms most frequently used by Brazilian patients with panic disorder when compared with a control group. The study also examines the association between severity of disease and comorbidity and the use of specific defense mechanisms. Sixty panic-disordered patients and 31 controls participated in the study. The Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview was used to confirm the panic disorder diagnosis and to establish the comorbid diagnosis. The Clinical Global Impression (CGI) was used to assess severity and the Defensive Style Questionnaire (DSQ-40) was used to evaluate the defense mechanisms. Panic patients used more neurotic (mean = 4.9 versus 3.6; p < 0.001) and immature (mean = 3.9 versus 2.8; p < 0.001) defenses as compared with controls. Panic patients with severe disease (n = 37; CGI>4) had more depression comorbidity and used more immature defenses than patients with CGI<or=4 (n = 23; mean = 4.2 versus 3.5; p < 0.001). It was concluded that the panic severity and depression comorbidity found in Brazilian panic-disordered patients are associated with the use of maladaptive mechanisms, namely immature defenses.
authors.affiliation: Post-Graduate Program in Medical Science: Psychiatry, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul and Anxiety Disorder Program, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
authors.forename: Letícia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kipper
authors.forename: Carolina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Blaya
authors.forename: Betina
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Teruchkin
authors.forename: Elizeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Heldt
authors.forename: Luciano
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Isolan
authors.forename: Kelin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mezzomo
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bond
authors.forename: Gisele Gus
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Manfro
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000379:Agoraphobia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D001938:Brazil; D015897:Comorbidity; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003674:Defense Mechanisms; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D017831:Diagnosis, Dual (Psychiatry); D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016584:Panic Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D010555:Personality Inventory; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D012016:Reference Values