We compared three groups of patients with panic disorder, generalised
anxiety disorder and major depressive episode with a control group. Me
thods of comparison included a clinical profile of the patients, asses
sed by the Arabic version of the Present State Examination (PSE), a ps
ychological battery of tests measuring personality traits and depressi
ve and anxiety states, and the dexamethasone suppression test (DST) as
a biological marker. Our data showed that psychological assessment an
d DST did not significantly differentiate between the three disorders.
Despite a symptom overlap between the disorders, however, some sympto
ms were associated significantly more often with one disorder than ano
ther. Patients with panic disorder differed from patients with major d
epressive episode in showing more situational, avoidance and free floa
ting anxiety, and more anxious foreboding. They showed less self-negli
gence, ideas of guilt, early awakening and social withdrawal. Compared
with patients with generalised anxiety disorder, patients with panic
disorder showed more loss of interest and muscle tension and less anxi
ous foreboding, restlessness, inefficient thinking, social withdrawal
and delayed sleep. Our conclusion is that the clinical course and the
symptom profile of panic disorder justifies its existence as an indepe
ndent diagnostic category.