• Anxiety and mood
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.25-30
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• 2013

Objective : Panic disorder is a chroni, debilitating illness, and has been known to be affected by high anxiety sensitivity and a poor quality of life. We examined if 12 weeks of pharmacotherapy with escitalopram could affect anxiety sensitivity, quality of life, and general disability in patients with panic disorder. Method : We enrolled 27 patients who met the DSM-IV-TR criteria for panic disorder, with or without agoraphobia, and completed 12 weeks of escitalopram treatment. We enrolled 29 normal control subjects who were matched for age and sex compared with the panic patients. All subjects were assessed using the Hamilton Rating Scale for depression (HAM-D), Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety (HAM-A), Panic Disorder Severity Scale (PDSS), Anxiety Sensitivity Index-Revised (ASI-R), WHO quality of life assessment (WHO-QOL) and Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS) before and after 12 weeks of treatment. Result : Panic disorder patients had a higher Anxiety sensitivity, a poorer Quality of life, and significant disability than normal control subjects at baseline. After the treatment, Panic disorder patients showed significant improvement in the severity of panic symptoms in terms of the HAM-A p<0.001), HAM-D (p<0.001) in addition, the reached a remission state in terms of the PDSS score. They also showed significant improvement in the ASI-R (p<0.001), WHO-QOL (p<0.001) and SDS (p<0.001), but mean scores of the ASI-R, WHO-QOL and SDS in panic disorder patients were did not reach normal levels. Conclusion : This study suggests that 12 weeks of pharmacotherapy with escitalopram could improve anxiety sensitivity, quality of life, and disability in panic disorder patients, although their anxiety sensitivity, quality of life and disability were not yet normalized after short-term pharmacotherapy. Thus, long-term pharmacotherapy may be necessary for panic disorder patients in order to get an optimal clinical response in terms of anxiety sensitivity, quality of life, and general disability.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.139-146
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• 1995

Forty patients meeting DSM-III-H criteria for panic disorder and 51 normal controls were assessed with the Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire-Revised(PDQ-R), a self-rating scale designed to assess Axis II personality disorders and traits. Results replicated previous findings of a preponderance of dependent, avoidant, and histrionic features. But our result showed other features such as paranoid, schizotypal, borderline, and antisocial traits also. Patients were divided into two groups according to the severity of their personality traits(high or low). These groups were compared in various panic symptomatology and SCL-90-R. None of the specific symptom dimensions in panic disorder, i.e. panic, anxiety, agoraphobia, social impairment, or chronicity was different between groups. Rather, high personality trait groups were found to have significantly more symptomatology in SCR-90-R than low personality groups. Result indicated that patients exhibiting a greater number of personality traits were also significantly more symptomatic. The results suggested a possible link beteween panic disorder and personality disorder. And, general factors such as depression, social or interpersonal sensitivity might provide a much better explanation of personality disorders in panic patients.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.53-61
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• 2006

Objectives: This study was designed to evaluate difference of the alexithymia between panic patients and normal controls by examination of the relationships between different components of the alexithymia construct and level of anxiety and depression in panic patients and normal controls. Methods The subjects were 167 patients who met DSM-IV criteria for panic disorder and 110 normal controls. They drew up symptom checklists and self-rating scales, and were measured by Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule-Panic attack & Agoraphobia(ADIS-P & A), Korean version of Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20K), Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-State & Trait (STAI-S & T), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Revised Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI-R). For statistical analysis, we performed t-test to compare the sociodemographic characteristics and the scores of self reported scales between panic patients and normal controls. Pearson correlation was performed between TAS-20K and it's subfactors, STAI-S & T, ASI-R and BDI in panic patients and normal controls. And stepwise multiple regression analysis was preformed to explain results of correlation analysis for alexithymia. Results: The panic patients reported more significant alexithymic (p<0.001), more difficulty identifying feeling (p<0.001) and describing feeling (p=0.001) than normal controls. Futhermore, panic patients were more significant anxious, sensitive to anxious feeling and depressive than normal controls. Moreover, the alexithymia of panic patients was explained by trait-anxiety $({\Delta}R^2=0.255)$ and anxiety sensitivity $({\Delta}R^2=0.062)$, that of normal controls was predicted by depression $({\Delta}R^2=0.144)$ and anxiety sensitivity $({\Delta}R^2=0.033)$ Conclusion: The panic patients reported more anxious and sensitive to anxious feeling, and these symptoms predict alexithymia in panic patients. However, the alexithymia of normal controls was explained by depression more than anxiety sensitivity, and such a result isn't consistent with previous studies and this may be mainly due to difference of the homogeneity in object of the studies.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.119-129
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• 2019

Objectives : The purpose of this study was to examine cognitive and psychological characteristics of patients who visited psychiatric outpatient clinic with military service suitability issues. Methods : Since January, 2017 to September, 2018, patients were recruited from the department of psychiatry of university hospital. Participants were diagnosed using DSM-5 criteria by board certified psychiatrists. And each of participants tested with K-WAIS-IV, K-SCL-95 by clinical psychologist. The data were analyzed using SPSS 18.0. Results : The results indicated 24.6% of the patients have significantly low level of intellectual functioning. and 10.8% of the patients have borderline level of intellectual functioning, and 26.3% of them were below average. The results of psychological characteristics showed patients have cautious and potentially dangerous level of depression, anxiety, agoraphobia, and suicidal idea. And PTSD subscale's mean score was above problematic level. Next, we divided patients into two groups based on question of whether the patient is eligible to serve in the military service or not arises from recruitment process or army training center. But two group didn't differ significantly. And for further analyses, we also divided patients into two groups based on if they got single psychiatric diagnosis or more than one psychiatric diagnosis. Conclusions : The results indicated that group which has coexisting psychiatric disorders were more depressed, had higher level of anger and aggression, and had more serious levels of suicidal ideas than single psychiatric diagnosis group. The implications and limitations were discussed along with some suggestions for the future studies.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.50-57
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• 2005

Objectives: This study was designed to evaluate the differences in clinical characteristics and severity of symptoms between panic patients with and without comorbid major depressive disorder, and to ascertain the differences in the function of the autonomic nerve system measured by heart rate variability (HRV). Methods: The subjects were 60 patients who have panic disorder without major depressive disorder and 19 patients who met DSMIV criteria for both panic disorder and major depressive disorder. First, they drew up symptom checklists and self-rating scales, and were measured by Anxiety Disorder Inventory Schedule-Panic Attack & Agoraphobia (ADIS-P&A), Clinical Global Impression (CGI), Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D), Panic Disorder Severity Scale (PDSS) and Heart Rate Variability (HRV). For statistical analysis, we performed t-test to compare the scores of self reported scales and clinician’s rating scales in panic patients with comorbid major depressive disorder and those without major depressive disorder. ANCOVA was used to compare the variables of HRV, considering age as a covariate. Results: The subjective severities of depression and anxiety that comorbid patients complained of were higher than those of patients with only panic disorder. Futhermore, comorbid patients were more sensitive to anxiety and physical sensations, and they tend to be more negative in their thinking. The scores of clinician-rating scales such as CGI and PDSS were also higher in the comorbid patients. However, there were no significant differences in HRV variables between both groups, despite a tendency to low heart rate variability in the comorbid group. Conclusion: This study suggests that patients with panic disorder and comorbid major depressive disorder tend to complain of more symptoms and to be more sensitive to various symptoms than those with panic disorder without comorbid depression. However, in this study comorbid major depressive disorder did not have a significant impact on the HRV variables of patients with panic disorder.