Open AccessPanic Disorder, Panic Attacks and Panic Attack Symptoms across Race‐Ethnic Groups: Results of the Collaborative Psychiatric Epidemiology Studies
Author(s) -
Asnaani Anu,
Gutner Cassidy A.,
Hinton Devon E.,
Hofmann Stefan G.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
cns neuroscience and therapeutics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.403
H-Index - 69
eISSN - 1755-5949
pISSN - 1755-5930
DOI - 10.1111/j.1755-5949.2009.00092.x
Subject(s) - panic , panic disorder , ethnic group , psychiatric epidemiology , palpitations , epidemiology , psychiatry , race (biology) , psychology , clinical psychology , medicine , anxiety , mental health , political science , botany , law , biology
The current study investigates race‐ethnic differences in rates of panic disorder, panic attacks and certain panic attack symptoms by jointly combining three major national epidemiological databases. The compared groups were White, African American, Latino and Asian. The White group had significantly higher rates of panic disorder, and of many panic symptoms, including palpitations, as compared to the African American, Asian and Latino groups. Several expected race‐ethnic differences were not found. An explanation for these findings are adduced, and suggestions are given for future studies so that possible ethnic‐racial differences in panic disorder, panic attacks and panic attack symptoms can be investigated in a more rigorous manner.