TY  - JOUR
PY  - 1999//
TI  - Panic disorder following torture by suffocation is associated with predominantly respiratory symptoms
JO  - Psychological medicine
A1  - Bouwer, C.
A1  - Stein, D.
SP  - 233
EP  - 236
VL  - 29
IS  - 1
N2  - BACKGROUND: We previously reported that in panic disorder a history of near-suffocation is associated with predominantly respiratory panic attacks. It might be hypothesized that the near-suffocation experienced in certain kinds of torture is also associated with the development of predominantly respiratory panic attacks. METHODS: A sample of patients who had experienced torture (N = 14) was drawn from an Anxiety Disorders Clinic in South Africa. Subjects were questioned about symptoms of panic disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder and depression. RESULTS: Patients with a history of torture by suffocation were more likely than other patients to complain of predominantly respiratory symptoms during panic attacks. These patients also demonstrated higher levels of depressive symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: While various interpretations of the data can be made, it is possible that torture by suffocation is associated with a specific symptomatic profile. Were such an association to be replicated, this would perhaps support the suffocation alarm hypothesis of panic disorder and provide evidence that specific environmental factors play a role in the development of this alarm.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0033-2917
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/
ID  - ref1
ER  -