Does 'fear of dying' indicate a more severe presentation of panic disorder?
Research suggests a relationship between the presence of fearful cognitions and panic disorder (PD) severity. With little existing evidence addressing the clinical significance of individual panic-cognitions, the current study examined presentation and impairment differences among 331 outpatients with PD according to whether they experience "fear of dying" (FOD) during panic attacks. Patients reporting FOD (n=153) were compared to patients denying FOD (n=178) on variables indicating PD severity (e.g., number of symptoms) and psychiatric impairment (e.g., hospitalizations). PD patients with FOD reported a greater number of panic symptoms, agoraphobia diagnoses, and were more likely to be seeking treatment primarily for PD. We found no clinical impairment or comorbidity differences between groups. Results suggest that panic attacks with FOD are related to a more acute presentation of PD. Such results substantiate past research connecting cognitive distress and PD severity and further suggest that FOD may be particularly relevant to this relationship.
Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown University School of Medicine, Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, RI, United States. Electronic address: dgazarian@lifespan.org.
Douglas
D
Gazarian
Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown University School of Medicine, Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, RI, United States.
Matthew D
MD
Multach
Department of Psychology, Trinity University, San Antonio, TX, United States.
William D
WD
Ellison
Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown University School of Medicine, Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, RI, United States.
Iwona
I
Chelminski
Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown University School of Medicine, Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, RI, United States.
Kristy
K
Dalrymple
Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown University School of Medicine, Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, RI, United States.
Mark
M
Zimmerman
D000328:Adult; D003071:Cognition; D003643:Death; D005239:Fear / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016584:Panic Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D063189:Symptom Assessment
Catastrophizing; Cognitive model; Fear of dying; Panic attacks; Panic disorder; Severity