Panic Disorder in Thailand : A Report on the Secondary Data Analysis
PICHET UDOMRATN, M.D*
Affiliation : * Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, Songkhla 90110, Thailand.
Relevant papers were searched comprehensively. Four groups of data including prevalence and incidence rates, sex differences, clinical symptoms during panic attacks, and scores of the Hamilton anxiety scale (HAM-A) were extracted where available. Data thus obtained were then grouped and compared.
It was found that 2.1 per cent to 12.4 per cent of patients who visited the psychiatric outpatient clinic for the first time were diagnosed as having PD. Males were affected at a similar rate to females with a ranging ratio of female : male from 1.3 : 1 to 0.67 : I. The most common symptoms during panic attacks were palpitations, chest pain or discomfort, and dizziness or vertigo, similar to South American studies. Regarding scores of original HAM-A, mean somatic anxiety scores of PD patients who attended the cardiology clinic were significantly higher than gene- ralized anxiety disorder patients (15.0 vs 9.8, p < 0.05). PD patients who attended the psychiatric clinic had higher mean scores of HAM-A when compared to PD patients who visited the car- diology clinic, but it was not statistically significant (27.7 vs 26.6, p > 0.05). However, the fear item of PD patients at the psychiatric clinic had significantly higher scores (2.1) than the other one (0.7).
The difference between these findings and those of Western studies may be caused by cultural factors. Thai men tend to react more promptly to panic attacks and seek medical attention while women mostly attributed their symptoms to "Air Disease". However, incidence rates from other rural areas are lacking. Before conclusions can be drawn, research on epidemiologic data in the community should be further investigated.
Keywords : Panic Disorder, Panic Attack, Incidence Rate, Hamilton Anxiety Scale
