Sympathetic reactivity in agoraphobic patients with and without personality disorders.

OBJECTIVE

To compare sympathetic activity in agoraphobic patients with and without personality disorders before and after 11 weeks inpatient treatment.

METHODS

Agoraphobic patients (n=38), 84% with panic disorder and 47% with personality disorders underwent cold pressure test (CPT), mental stress test (MST), and a specific anxiety test (SAT). Psychological assessments were done by the Bodily Sensations Questionnaire (BSQ), the Agoraphobic Cognitions Questionnaire (ACQ), Spielberger STAI-1 and -2, and a Stress Test Anxiety (STA) questionnaire. Sympathetic activity was measured by blood pressure, heart rate, epinephrine, and norepinephrine.

RESULTS

The sympathetic activity did not differ significantly between patient groups, and the reactivity to stress was very low. The sympathetic reactivity remained unchanged after treatment, whereas psychiatric symptoms decreased. Correlations between sympathetic activity and psychological distress were not significant.

CONCLUSION

Interpretation of bodily signals seems to be more important than the actual sympathetic activity in agoraphobic patients.