Catherine Mancini’s research while affiliated with McMaster University and other places

Panic attacks have been reported by patients with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) in response to catastrophic worry. This has not been characterized in the literature. We examined the prevalence of GAD panic attacks in an anxiety disorders clinic sample. Charts of 254 patients with DSM-IV GAD were retrospectively evaluated. The presence and type of panic attacks were examined as well as correlates including comorbidity, baseline symptom severity, demographic variables, and family history. Twenty-one percent had GAD panic attacks, 21.7% had situationally predisposed attacks, 15.6% had situationally bound attacks, and 39.4% had unexpected panic attacks. The individuals who had GAD panic attacks had higher scores on the Anxiety Sensitivity Index compared with those who also had other types of panic attacks. One in five patients with GAD reported GAD panic attacks; however, these individuals did not differ significantly on the correlates that were evaluated. These findings require replication and further evaluation.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder provides a user-friendly overview of the characterization, diagnosis, evaluation and treatment of GAD in addition to differential diagnoses, pathogenesis, course and clinical co-morbidity associated with this disorder.

Adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a life-long, chronic disorder, which has its onset in childhood and is associated with significant functional impairment. ADHD appears to be highly comorbid with other psychiatric disorders, however, literature is lacking concerning ADHD/anxiety comorbidity. To that end, we examined the prevalence of ADHD in an anxiety disorder sample. Consecutive patients referred to an anxiety disorders clinic completed a variety of anxiety disorder self-report measures as well as the Adult ADHD self-report scale and were clinically assessed using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV, and the ADHD module of the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview. Of the 129 patients assessed, the rate of adult ADHD was 27.9%. The mean age of the sample was 33.1 ± 12.5 years, and the mean baseline CGI-S was 4.6 ± 1.1 (moderate to marked severity). The majority of the sample was female (63.6%) and single (49.5%). The most common comorbid disorders associated with ADHD were major depressive disorder (53.8%), social phobia (38.5%), generalized anxiety disorder (23.1%), and impulse control disorders (30.8%). Individuals with ADHD had higher symptom severity scores for obsessive-compulsive disorder, (P≤ 0.05) and for GAD (P≤ 0.05) and reported a significantly earlier age of onset for depression as compared to those without (P≤ 0.05). The prevalence of adult ADHD was higher in our anxiety disorders clinic sample than found in the general population. Clinical implications of these findings are discussed.

Since its inclusion in DSM-III, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has undergone a number of changes in its diagnostic criteria, including the expansion of Criterion A (traumatic stressor), the addition of symptom duration (none specified in DSM-III), and the requirement for impairment or distress (Criterion F, DSM-IV only). This study examined the impact of changes in PTSD diagnostic criteria using a Canadian PTSD epidemiologic sample. The rates of PTSD and its correlates were evaluated in a nationally representative random sample of 3,006 adults. DSM-III, DSM-III-R, DSM-IV, and ICD-10 criteria were employed. DSM-III, DSM-III-R, and ICD-10 rates were re-evaluated, substituting specific DSM-IV criteria (A-F). The prevalence rates of lifetime PTSD ranged from 13.4% (DSM-III) to 13.0% (ICD-10) to 12.2% (DSM-III-R) to 9.2% (DSM-IV); all rates differed significantly from each other (P < .001). Regardless of diagnostic criteria, most people reported more than 1-year duration of symptoms, although rates were significantly higher in those with DSM-IV PTSD (68.2%, P < .0001). Rates of comorbid major depressive disorder and alcohol and substance abuse and dependence were also significantly higher (P < .05) using the DSM-IV PTSD criteria, and those with DSM-IV PTSD reported significantly higher rates of help-seeking (P < .001). When Criterion F was added to earlier versions, lifetime PTSD rates became much closer to those obtained using DSM-IV criteria: 10.6% (DSM-III), 10.2% (DSM-III-R), and 9.9% (ICD-10); however, rates fluctuated when operational definitions of Criterion F were modified. DSM-III PTSD was also substantially affected by DSM-IV Criteria A and C. DSM-IV PTSD may identify a more severe disorder. The addition of the clinical significance criterion (F) appeared to affect the greatest change in prevalence rates. Defining Criterion F as having both clinically significant psychological distress and functional impairment lowered the diagnostic threshold to a greater degree than did either distress or impairment alone. This information may be useful for future revisions of PTSD diagnostic criteria.

Spectral coupling between delta and beta oscillations has been related to anxiety. The authors provide preliminary evidence that frontal brain oscillatory coupling discriminates children born to socially phobic versus healthy parents, despite there being no difference in parental perceptions of their children's shyness.

It is well established that individuals with anxiety disorders experience significant impairments in social and occupational functioning. However, the impact of anxiety disorders on family members has not been adequately studied. The objective of the present study was to examine the burden experienced by relatives of anxiety disorder patients. In all, 74 outpatients and 74 family members participated in the study. Family members completed measures that assessed the impact of having an anxiety disordered relative. Results indicate that family members experience significant burden. The burden encompasses several domains including negative effects on physical health, psychological well-being, and family functioning. Burden was positively correlated with the severity of the patient's condition. The presence of a comorbid mood disorder in patients was associated with increased burden. Health-care professionals should assess the impact of anxiety disorders on the patient's family and provide interventions to reduce burden and improve the quality of life of family members.

The Internet is a widely used resource for obtaining health information. Internet users are able to obtain anonymous information on diagnoses and treatment, seek confirmatory information, and are able to self-diagnose. We posted a self-report diagnostic screening questionnaire for DSM-IV anxiety and mood disorders (MACSCREEN) on our clinic website. Three hundred and two individuals completed the MACSREEN. For those who qualified for a DSM-IV disorder, self-report symptom severity measures were completed for the specified disorder: Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology, self-report, Social Phobia Inventory, GAD-7, Davidson Trauma Scale, Panic and Agoraphobia Scale, and Yale/Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale, self-report. Cutoff scores for each self-report measure were used to evaluate clinically significant symptom severity. Respondents were also asked to complete a series of questions regarding their use of the Internet for health information. Results: The mean age of the MACSCREEN sample was 35.2 years (±13.9), where the majority (67.2%) were female. The most frequently diagnosed conditions were social phobia (51.0%), major depressive disorder (32.4%), and generalized anxiety disorder (25.5%). Sixty-five percent of the sample met criteria for at least one disorder. Most respondents reported completing the MACSCREEN, as they were concerned they had an anxiety problem (62.3%). The majority of respondents reported seeking health information concerning specific symptoms they were experiencing (54.6%) and were planning to use the information to seek further assessment (60.3%). Individuals with clinically significant disorder appear to be using the Internet to self-diagnose and seek additional information.