Impact of life events on subjects with panic disorder and on comparison subjects

Article Abstract:

Stressful life events are thought to play a role in panic disorder. About 80 percent of patients with panic disorder have reported that a major stressful event precedes a panic episode. Studies have been done that compare the effect of life events on subjects with panic attacks and nonanxious subjects, but these latter may not be the most appropriate group for comparison. This study therefore compared the following three groups of patients: subjects with panic disorder, patients with other anxiety disorders, and nonanxious individuals. The Life Experiences Survey, a 76-item questionnaire, was completed by 64 patients diagnosed with panic disorder with agoraphobia; 33 subjects with another type of anxiety disorder; and 34 normal (nonanxious) controls. When the results were reviewed, the individuals with panic disorder did not experience more frequent significant life change events over the same period than either the normal controls or the individuals with other anxiety disorders. However, both the patients with panic disorder and the patients with other anxiety disorders reported a greater negative impact from life events preceding the onset of the disorder than the control group. The impact, rather than the frequency, of life change events was the major difference that was observed in the three groups. These results suggest that, although it has been estimated that in 80 percent of those suffering from panic disorder, a stressful event precedes the onset of an episode, the number of events that occur is not significant. What does appear to be a major factor is the way in which the event is perceived by the individual. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Panic disorders, Panic disorder

---

Life events and the course of bipolar disorder

Article Abstract:

Bipolar depression is a condition where the patient exhibits both manic and depressive episodes. To determine what factors predict recurrence and relapse of this disorder, and an investigation of the effect of stressful life events was carried out. The authors predicted that the patients experiencing high levels of stress would be more likely to relapse than patients experiencing low stress levels. The study group was made up of 28 men and 33 women who were stable outpatients at an affective disorder clinic who had all been diagnosed with a bipolar disorder. The patients were given an initial evaluation and were then interviewed every three months over a one-year period. Stressful events were rated on a scale of 1 to 5; a score of 1 indicated 'no threat' and a score of 5 indicated 'severe threat'. There was a significant relationship between high levels of stress and the likelihood of relapse. Those patients with the highest levels of stress had a 4.53 times higher risk of relapse than those without stress. These findings affirm the impact of psychosocial factors on the course of a disorder which presumedly has a biological base. Future efforts which integrate biological and psychosocial factors could improve treatment outcomes of patients with bipolar disorders. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Complications and side effects

---

Treating bipolar illness: focus on treatment algorithms and management of the sleep-wake cycle

Article Abstract:

Two case studies illustrate the use of treatment algorithms for treating bipolar disease, also called manic-depression. Until the 1990s, lithium was the only effective treatment for bipolar disease, but now other drugs are proving to be effective in patients who cannot take lithium or do not respond to it.

Drug therapy

Similar abstracts:

• Abstracts: Commentary on "group interventions for patients with cancer and HIV disease". Working through a psychotherapy group's political cultures
• Abstracts: Effects of stress on sleep: the moderating role of coping style. Follow-up of coping skills training in adults with sickle cell disease: analysis of daily pain and coping practice diaries
• Abstracts: An assessment of the attention demands during random- and blocked-practice schedules. Implicit and explicit memory in pregnant women: an analyis of data-driven and conceptually driven processes
• Abstracts: Plasma homocysteine levels in female patients with eating disorders. Effect of inositol on bulimia nervosa and binge eating
• Abstracts: Bupropion treatment of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in adults. A controlled trial of desipramine in 18 men with posttraumatic stress disorder

This website is not affiliated with document authors or copyright owners. This page is provided for informational purposes only. Unintentional errors are possible.