ELECTRODERMAL LABILITY IN ANXIETY DISORDERS

Twenty-eight anxiety patients, aged below 50 years, were diagnosed acc ording to DSM-III-R criteria (panic disorder with and without agorapho bia, generalised anxiety disorder, and anxiety disorder not otherwise specified). The patients were characterised by high levels of state an d trait anxiety and neuroticism, compared with the controls. However, there were no differences between patients and controls in electroderm al habituation rate, non-specific activity, or skin resistance level. When the patients were divided into electrodermally labile and stable subjects, significant differences were found between patients and cont rols in both electrodermal activity and Eysenck's personality dimensio ns. The labile patients were more introverted and attained higher psyc hoticism scores than either the stable patients or controls. Duration of anxiety symptoms removed the difference found in extroversion, but not in any other variable. The results are discussed in relation to th e utility of electrodermal measurements in validation of diagnostic en tities. It is concluded, that from the psychophysiological point of vi ew, anxiety disorders may be examined within a dimensional framework.