The following is a summary of “Biobehavioral approach to distinguishing panic symptoms from medical illness,” published in the May 2024 issue of Psychiatry by Tunnell et al.
Panic disorder causes distressing symptoms that resemble medical conditions, leading to excessive use of personal and healthcare resources. A biobehavioral approach integrating psychological and medical knowledge is needed.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study reviewing common somatic symptoms of panic attacks and differentiated them from similar medical conditions, including those associated with long-term COVID-19.
They reviewed six primary somatic symptoms of panic attacks identified as most severe by panic sufferers in PubMed, Cochrane Library, and PsycINFO literature from initiation to February 2, 2024. They explored comorbid somatic illnesses, risk factors, distinguishing characteristics, and typical treatments, and they considered cultural aspects of symptom differentiation.
The results showed non-cardiac chest pain, palpitations, dyspnea, dizziness, abdominal distress, and paresthesia as key panic attack symptoms. The comorbid conditions and characteristics aided in differential diagnosis, and typical treatments were also discussed.
Investigators concluded that healthcare professionals need tools to distinguish panic-related symptoms from medically relevant ones to optimize patient care and reduce unnecessary treatments and distress.
Source: frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1296569/full
