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Panic and panic attacks in adolescents

1989; Elsevier BV; Volume: 3; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/0887-6185(89)90016-9

1873-7897

Jennifer Lee Macaulay, Ronald A. Kleinknecht,

Youth Substance Use and School Attendance

Patients seeking treatment for panic disorder typically report their panic onset to have been in their late 20s. Epidemiologic and other survey samples indicate that the age of onset of panics is in the late teens. The present survey study examined this and other issues related to the conditions of onset of panic and the relationship of panics to depression, psychosocial stresses, and social support in a sample of 660 adolescents, aged 13 to 18. Four groups were formed based on presence and intensity of panic attacks: No panic (36%), Mild panic (47%), Moderate panic (10%), and Severe panic (5.4%). Females were significantly more likely to be in the more severe groups than males. The median age of onset of panic attacks was 13 years and did not differ as a function of gender or panic severity. Symptom profiles during panics were highly comparable to those reported by others; situations in which attacks occurred were also essentially the same. The more severe panic groups reported significantly more school and family stresses, greater depression, less family support, and more uncued panic attacks. Ten percent of the Severe panic group and 2.9% of the total sample were currently in treatment for their panic. These results indicate panic attacks and panic disorder begin for some during adolescence. Patterns and symptomatology are highly consistent with those reported in adult and clinical samples.