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R M Rapee

Publications and source records attributed to R M Rapee.

45 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1985

A case of panic disorder treated with breathing retraining.

In view of the marked prevalence of panic attacks in psychiatric populations, it is surprising that little interest has been devoted to their behavioral management. It has been suggested that hyperventilation may be important in the onset and/or maintenance of panic attacks and hence some form of respiratory control may be of value in their treatment. A method of breathing retraining is presented and applied to a subject suffering panic disorder (DSM-III). The results indicate that breathing retraining can reduce the frequency and intensity of panic attacks. A number of suggestions are made regarding the nature of panic attacks including the possible role of aberrant cognitions and the unique nature of panic attacks compared to other forms of anxiety.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Distinctions between panic disorder and generalised anxiety disorder: clinical presentation.

Thirty-eight panic disorder and 48 generalised anxiety disorder subjects were asked to complete a number of questionnaires aimed at developing a general clinical picture of the two disorders. The results indicated that panic disorder is characterised by a sudden onset around the mid- to late-20s age group and is distinguished by symptoms which are chiefly hyperventilatory in nature and are accompanied by thoughts of serious physical or mental illness. Generalised anxiety disorder is characterised by a gradual onset of symptoms. Somatic symptoms associated with this disorder are generally accompanied by a realisation that the symptoms are the result of anxiety and are harmless. The two groups did not appear to differ greatly on a number of other scales except that the generalised anxiety disorder subjects scored higher on measures of manifest anxiety and social phobia.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Assessment instrument for panic disorder that includes fear of sensation-producing activities: the Albany Panic and Phobia Questionnaire.

A set of items was developed to assess fear of activities which produce physical sensations (e.g., exercise) based on clinical observations that individuals with panic disorder fear such activities in addition to agoraphobic situations. Factor analysis of a 32-item pool based on responses from 438 subjects confirmed three distinct factors which were labelled: agoraphobia, social phobia, and interoceptive fears. Evidence was obtained to support the internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and construct validity of all three factors. Importantly, the interoceptive factor demonstrated a slightly different pattern of relationships with other constructs to the agoraphobic factor, even though the two were highly related. The present questionnaire will help to expand current assessments of panic disorder for both clinical work and research.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Stability of catastrophic cognitions in panic disorder.

This study examined the degree to which panic disorder patients recognized the irrationality of their fearful cognitions during the midst of panic and at other times, when not panicking. Also, the degree to which panic-cognitions changed over time was examined. Approximately 40% retained at least moderately strong conviction in their panic-cognitions when not panicking. Females and non-medicated patients held stronger convictions. Fearful cognitions about physical dangers were more likely to decrease over time than fearful cognitions about mental or social dangers.

Agoraphobia↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Perceived threat and perceived control as predictors of the degree of fear in physical and social situations.

Seventy-one nonclinical subjects indicated their degree of anxiety or fear in response to five physical threat situations and four social threat situations. In addition, for each situation, they rated the probability and consequences of danger or threat generally associated with each situation and the degree of perceived control that they believed they would personally have in each situation. Multiple regressions indicated that only general probability of threat predicted fear in physical situations while the general consequences of threat and the degree of personal control predicted fear in response to social situations.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A test of the cognitive model of panic: primed lexical decision in panic disorder.

The aim of the present study was to investigate whether individuals with panic disorder are characterised by an enhanced tendency to associate particular somatic sensations with threatening outcomes, compared with nonclinical controls. In order to test this prediction, a modified lexical decision task was employed. Panic disorder subjects and nonclinical control subjects made lexical decisions to neutral word pairs and threatening word pairs. Threatening word pairs consisted of combinations of somatic sensations and catastrophic outcomes (e.g., breathless-suffocate), which have been shown to be of salience to individuals with panic disorder. Semantic priming was found for both neutral and threatening word pairs, but was demonstrated equally by panic disorder subjects and nonclinical controls. The results did not provide support for cognitive models of panic disorder.

Cognition↗