FUNCTIONING AND WELL-BEING OF PATIENTS WITH PANIC DISORDER

Objective: The authors compared the health-related quality of life of patients with panic disorder to that of patients with other major chro nic medical and psychiatric conditions. Method: The physical and menta l health of a group of 433 patients with current panic disorder and 9, 839 outpatients with psychiatric or medical disorders were assessed wi th the 20- and 36-item short-form surveys of the Medical Outcomes Stud y. After controlling for other disease conditions, demographics, and s tudy site, the authors used multiple regression methods to estimate he alth-related quality of life levels for panic disorder patients and pa tients with hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, chronic lung problems, and major depression. Results: Patients with panic diso rder had levels of mental health and role functioning that were substa ntially lower than those of patients with depression. However, their p hysical functioning levels and perceptions of current health more like those of patients with hypertension and were similar to general popul ation norms. Conclusions: Panic disorder is a serious societal health problem with large consequences, and it affects primarily psychologica l and role domains.