REPORTING EXPERIENCES OF PANIC - SEX-DIFFERENCES IN A COMMUNITY SURVEY

This report aims to look at whether the results of a community survey of the prevalence of panic attacks and panic disorder could be influenced by a possible sex difference in the willingness to return screening questionnaires and to acknowledge psychiatric symptoms. The results suggest that men are less likely to return questionnaires, and that this effect is more marked in the younger age groups. This could indicate that an important group of people is being under-represented in prevalence figures for panic and possibly other psychiatric diagnoses.