Panic disorder in primary care: Comorbid psychiatric disorders and their persistence

Figures & data

Table I. Lifetime and current DSM-IV comorbid disorders.

	Lifetime comorbid disorders			Current comorbid disorders
	Panic disorder without agoraphobia (n = 20) n (%)	Panic disorder with agoraphobia (n = 29) n (%)	All (n = 49) n (%)	Panic disorder without agoraphobia (n = 20) n (%)	Panic disorder with agoraphobia (n = 29) n (%)	All (n = 49) n (%)
Any other psychiatric disorder	19 (95.0)	29 (100)	48 (98)	13 (65.0)	25 (86.2)	38 (77.6)
Major depressive disorder	11 (55.0)	20 (69.0)	31 (63.3)	1 (5.0)^1	8 (27.6)^1	9 (18.4)^1
Dysthymia	–	–	–	0 (0)	1 (3.4)	1 (2.0)
Other depressive disorder	1 (5.0)	4 (13.8)	5 (10.2)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)
Bipolar disorder	2 (10.0)	2 (6.9)	4 (8.2)	2 (10.0)	2 (6.9)	4 (8.2)
Social phobia	3 (15.0)	17 (58.6)	20 (40.8)	3 (15.0)	13 (44.8)	16 (32.7)
GAD	–	–	–	4 (20.0)	3 (10.3)	7 (14.3)
OCD	1 (5.0)	6 (20.7)	7 (14.3)	0 (0)	4 (13.8)	4 (8.2)
PTSD	1 (5.0)	6 (20.7)	7 (14.3)	0 (0)	3 (10.3)	3 (6.1)
Specific phobia	5 (25.0)	15 (51.7)	20 (40.8)	5 (25.0)	14 (48.3)	19 (38.8)
Any other anxiety disorder	10 (50.0)	25 (86.2)	35 (71.4)	9 (45.0)	21 (72.4)	30 (61.2)
Somatoform disorders	1 (5.0)	3 (10.3)	4 (8.2)	1 (5.0)	2 (6.9)	3 (6.1)
Eating disorders	1 (5.0)	1 (3.4)	2 (4.1)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)
Psychotic disorders	0 (0)	1 (3.4)	1 (2.0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)
Alcohol disorders	7 (35.0)	14 (48.3)	21 (42.9)	0 (0)^2	3 (10.3)^1	3 (6.1)^1
Other substance use disorders	1 (5.0)	6 (20.7)	7 (14.3)	1 (5.0)	2 (6.9)^3	3 (6.1)^3

Notes: Statistical significance of the change in the frequency of the comorbid disorder:

¹p < 0.005; ²p < 0.05; ³p = 0.125.

Table II. Comorbid personality disorders.

	Panic disorder without agoraphobia (n = 20) n (%)	Panic disorder with agoraphobia (n = 29) n (%)	All (n = 49) n (%)
Any personality disorder	3 (15.0)	7 (24.1)	10 (20.4)
Antisocial	1 (5.0)	2 (6.9)	3 (6.1)
Borderline	1 (5.0)	2 (6.9)	3 (6.1)
Avoidant	0 (0)	1 (3.4)	1 (2.0)
Dependent	0 (0)	1 (3.4)	1 (2.0)
Obsessive-compulsive	1 (5.0)	0 (0)	1 (2.0)
Mixed (antisocial + borderline)	1 (5.0)	1 (3.4)	2 (4.1)

Table III. Clinical severity of the disorder (Panic Disorder Severity Scale and Beck Anxiety Inventory).

	Panic disorder without agoraphobia (n = 20) mean	Panic disorder with agoraphobia (n = 29) mean	All (n = 29) mean
Panic frequency	1.30 (mild)	1.17 (mild)	1.22 (mild)
Panic distress	2.90 (severe)	2.62 (severe)	2.73 (severe)
Anticipatory anxiety	1.15 (mild)	1.45 (mild)	1.33 (mild)
Agoraphobic fear/avoidance	1.10 (mild)	1.69 (moderate)	1.45 (mild)
Interoceptive fear/avoidance	0.80 (mild)	1.14 (mild)	1.00 (mild)
Work impairment/distress	1.05 (mild)	1.52 (moderate)	1.33 (mild)
Social impairment/distress	0.60 (mild)	1.34 (mild)	1.04 (mild)
Total score	8.75	10.93	10.04
Composite (average)	1.27 (mild)	1.56 (moderate)	1.44 (mild)
BAI (total)	21.12 (moderate)	25.46 (moderate)	23.74 (moderate)

Table IV. Sociodemographic data.

	Panic disorder without agoraphobia (n = 20)	Panic disorder with agoraphobia (n = 29)	No current diagnosis (n = 44)	chi-square	p
Age, years	38.10	43.52	45.77	–	–
Female	13 (65.0)	20 (69.9)	38 (86.4)	4.745	0.093
Married/cohabiting	10 (50.0)	15 (51.7)	32 (72.7)	2.975	0.226
Completed high school	6 (30.0)	11 (37.9)	31 (70.5)	9.284	0.010
Professionally qualified	12 (60.0)	14 (48.3)	39 (88.6)	10.660	0.005
Working or studying full time	9 (45.0)	10 (34.5)	29 (65.9)	6.141	0.046