Treatment of panic attack and risk of major depressive disorder in the community

Objective: The authors' goal was to determine whether treatment of panic at tacks has a protective effect on the risk of major depression in the commun ity. Method: Data were drawn from the National Comorbidity Survey, a community-b ased household sample representative of the U.S. adult population. A Cox pr oportional hazard model was used to estimate the association between risk o f first-onset major depression and panic among subjects who had or had not received treatment for panic. Results: A significantly smaller proportion of individuals who received tre atment for panic (19%) than those who did not receive treatment (45%) devel oped major depression. This difference remained significant in a Cox propor tional hazard analysis adjusted for age at onset of panic and differences i n demographic characteristics. Conclusions: Detection and treatment of panic may reduce the risk of develo ping major depression.