HYPOCHONDRIACAL CONCERNS, ANXIETY SENSITIVITY, AND PANIC DISORDER

Many panic disorder patients have significant levels of hypochondriacal concerns. The present study investigated the relationship between specific symptom characteristics and hypochondriacal concerns in a sample of 50 panic disorder patients at different stages of treatment and recovery. Of the symptom characteristics examined -- anxious mood, depressed mood, anxiety sensitivity, current number of panic attacks, and degree of phobic avoidance -- hypochondriacal concerns were most highly associated with anxiety sensitivity. This finding is discussed in relation to the role of catastrophic interpretations of somatic symptoms in panic disorder and hypochondriasis. Treatment implications are discussed.