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Original Article

Vestibular Symptoms, Panic, and Phobia

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Pages 163-174 | Received 11 Mar 1992, Published online: 30 Dec 2011
 

Abstract

The interface between anxiety disorders and vestibular disorders is characterized by two areas of overlap. First, some vestibular symptoms are elicited in situations involving long visual distances or misleading visual or proprioceptive cues for motion or balance. This situational specificity can lead to the development of avoidance behavior similar to that in agoraphobia and height phobia. Second, vestibular symptoms are associated with changes in autonomic activity. These reactions may be indistinguishable from those experienced in anxiety.

Given these two areas of overlap, it is not surprising that anxiety, panic, and phobic avoidance are frequent complaints in patients with balance disorders. Conversely, vestibular dysfunction is observed in some patients with panic disorder. A model for the interaction between anxiety and vestibular abnormalities is discussed.

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