CONTROLLED COMPARISON OF THE CHARACTERISTICS OF PATIENTS WITH PANIC DISORDER

Background. Increased general practice attendance rates have been asso ciated with the diagnosis of mental illness but panic disorder has not been specifically investigated in this respect. In addition, studies have failed adequately to assess type and frequency of secondary care referral and patterns of psychotropic prescription in patients with pa nic disorder in relation to matched controls. Aim. This study set out to compare subjects with panic disorder with age and sex matched contr ols on measures of general practice consultation rate, psychotropic an d non-psychotropic drug use, referral to secondary care, laboratory an d radiological tests and hospital admissions, history of illness and c omplaints, and psychiatric comorbidity. Method. The study was carried out in nine practices in the Forth Valley area. One hundred patients w ith panic disorder, previously diagnosed using DSM III-R criteria, wer e identified and matched by age and sex with controls. Data were colle cted by review of general practice case notes. Results. Subjects with panic disorder had significantly higher rates of general practice cons ultation over the 10 year period prior to DSM III-R diagnosis of panic disorder than controls. Subjects with panic disorder had also been pr escribed a significantly greater number of psychotropic and non-psycho tropic medications over this period, had had more secondary care inves tigations and had higher rates of mainly minor illness and related com plaints than controls. High comorbidity of panic disorder with depress ion which had been diagnosed over the 10 year period prior to DSM III- R diagnosis of panic disorder was found Conclusion. The results of thi s study describe a population of subjects with panic disorder who are long-term heavy users of primary care services. The results also sugge st an association between panic disorder and both minor illness and ps ychiatric comorbidity over the 10 year period prior to DSM III-R diagn osis of panic disorder.