The Epidemiology of Panic Attacks, Panic Disorder, and Agoraphobia in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication

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Abstract
Epidemiological survey investigators have helped advance understanding of panic by studying the prevalence and distribution,1-3 onset and course,4 associations with comorbid disorders,5-7 and societal costs.8,9 Despite these advances, important questions remain unanswered about the epidemiology of panic,10 among the most important of them regarding the finding that many people have isolated panic attacks (PAs) that do not meet criteria for panic disorder (PD). These people have elevated prevalence of other mental disorders.6,11 They report greater impairment, use of psychotropic medication, and psychiatric help-seeking than people with many Axis I disorders.8 Such findings have led to the view that PAs are fairly nonspecific risk markers for psychopathology.12