PHOBIC ANXIETY IN PANIC DISORDER - COGNITION, HEART-RATE, AND SUBJECTIVE ANXIETY

This study investigated the relationships among cognition, physiologic al arousal, and subjective anxiety in the ongoing experience of phobic anxiety in panic disorder. Twenty subjects with panic disorder and so me degree of agoraphobic avoidance were monitored during exposure to f ear-provoking situations. Extent of negativity in reported thoughts (p ercent negative thoughts) was significantly correlated to mean heart r ate and peak subjective anxiety. Reporting of individual negative thou ghts was associated with high levels of subjective anxiety but not hea rt rate. Data were also analysed in terms of thought sequences. Result s indicate that heart rate increased with longer negative thought sequ ences and that this was in the context of elevated subjective anxiety. Longer sequences of positive thoughts were associated with increasing heart rate but also declining subjective anxiety. The findings were i nterpreted as providing some support for Barlow's model of anxiety; ho wever, the data indicate that relationships among cognition, subjectiv e anxiety, and physiological arousal in phobic anxiety are both comple x and dynamic.