Functioning and well-being of patients with panic disorder

OBJECTIVE: The authors compared the health-related quality of life of patients with panic disorder to that of patients with other major chronic medical and psychiatric conditions. METHOD: The physical and mental health of a group of 433 patients with current panic disorder and 9,839 outpatients with psychiatric or medical disorders were assessed with the 20- and 36-item short-form surveys of the Medical Outcomes Study. After controlling for other disease conditions, demographics, and study site, the authors used multiple regression methods to estimate health-related quality of life levels for panic disorder patients and patients with hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, chronic lung problems, and major depression. RESULTS: Patients with panic disorder had levels of mental health and role functioning that were substantially lower than those of patients with other major chronic medical illnesses but were higher than or comparable to those of patients with depression. However, their physical functioning levels and perceptions of current health were more like those of patients with hypertension and were similar to general population norms. CONCLUSIONS: Panic disorder is a serious societal health problem with large consequences, and it affects primarily psychological and role domains.