Korean J Psychopharmacol.  2004 Sep;15(3):333-338.

Effect of Short-Term Pharmacotherapy on Anxiety Sensitivity in Panic Disorder

• Choi YH
• Kim JH
• Lim YJ
• Chae JH
• Woo JM
• Ryu H
• Yu BH

Abstract

OBJECTIVE
This study was designed to examine the effects of 3 months of pharmacological treatment on anxiety sensitivity in patients with panic disorder. METHODS: Patients (N=32) who met DSM-IV criteria for panic disorder with or without agoraphobia were treated with paroxetine and/or benzodiazepines for 3 months. Symptom improvement was assessed by using PDSS (Panic Disorder Severity Scale), and anxiety sensitivity using Anxiety Sensitivity Index Revised (ASI-R), Agoraphobic Cognition Questionnaire (ACQ), Body Sensation Questionnaire (BSQ). Ttest, paired T-test, and paired F-test were performed. RESULTS: Patients with panic disorder showed significant reduction in the measurement of severity of illness and anxiety sensitivity after 3 months of pharmacotherapy. However, they still showed higher scores in the ASI-R and ACQ after 3 months of pharmacotherapy compared to normal control subjects. After pharmacotherapy, they showed significant changes in ASI-R after controlling for changes in ACQ and BSQ. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that short-term pharmacological treatment is effective on anxiety sensitivity reduction in panic disorder patients with or without agoraphobia. But this study doesn't show that short-term pharmacological treatment normalizes anxiety sensitivity to levels that are characteristic of normal control samples.

Keyword

Panic disorder; Anxiety sensitivity; Pharmacotherapy

MeSH Terms

Agoraphobia
Anxiety*
Benzodiazepines
Cognition
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
Drug Therapy*
Humans
Panic Disorder*
Panic*
Paroxetine
Surveys and Questionnaires
Sensation
Benzodiazepines
Paroxetine