An Analysis of Uncued Panic Attacks in Panic Disorder
Jasmine Arthur-Jones and Bronwyn Fox
Dissociation experiences categorised predominantly as anxiety by Panic Disorder participants were: you and your surrounding do not seem real; experience a visual sensation where stationary objects appear to move; and feeling as if you are floating. Comparing the results for Panic Disorder and other Anxiety Disorder clearly show that these experiences were insignificant in Anxiety Disorder. The Panic Disorder participants experienced these as anxiety but if these experiences were associated with anxiety the other Anxiety Disorder participants would have shown a more equal level of experience. The conclusion may be that the Panic Disorder participants may be experiencing these phenomenon on an ongoing basis outside of the panic attack and may be personally linking to anxiety symptoms occurring at the time.
Dissociative Experience ScaleResults coincide with the results achieved by E.Bernstien PhD and F.Putnam MD(10) for dissociative scores achieved by normal (mean=5.7) and Anxiety Disorders (mean=7.2). The Panic Disorder mean score however was higher (mean=28). This however corresponds to our knowledge of Panic Disorder being highly dissociative. Analysis of the specific dissociative experiences for normal, Anxiety Disorder and Panic Disorder shown in Table 14. show the high level of dissociative experiences for Panic Disorder participants. The scores specify percentage of time people experience these specific dissociative experiences.
Dissociative Experiences |
No AD |
Other AD |
Panic Disorder |
Driving a car and suddenly realise don't remember what has happened during all/part of trip |
5% |
19% |
30% |
Listening to someone talk and realise did not hear part/all of what was just said |
3% |
21% |
60% |
Find themselves in a place and have no idea how they got there |
0.1% |
1.3% |
15% |
Experience feeling as though standing next to themselves and watching themselves do something |
0.2% |
4% |
9% |
Have no memory for some important events in their lives eg. wedding, graduation |
5% |
9% |
24% |
Experience feeling that their body does not seem to belong to them |
0.2% |
3% |
23% |
Experience feeling that other people, objects and the world do not seem real |
0.6% |
7.5% |
37% |
Experience of sometimes remembering a past event so vividly that they feel as if they are reliving it |
6% |
7% |
27% |
Experience of not sure whether things that they remember happening really did happen or a dream |
8% |
9% |
31% |
Experience of being in a familiar place but finding it strange and unfamiliar |
2% |
4% |
19% |
When watching TV or movie they become so absorbed they are unaware of the events happening near them |
10% |
10% |
28% |
Become so involved in a fantasy or daydream it feels as though it is really happening |
3% |
6% |
20% |
Find that they are sometimes able to ignore pain |
6% |
12% |
29% |
Sometimes sit staring off into space, thinking nothing and not aware of the passage of time |
4% |
15% |
36% |
May act so differently from situation to situation they feel as if they were two different people |
3% |
10% |
28% |
Sometimes can't remember whether have done something or just thought about doing it |
3% |
10% |
|
Feel as if looking at the world through a fog so that people and objects appear far away or unclear |
0.4% |
4% |
21% |
