Understanding panic disorder in chronic respiratory disease.

As well as being physically debilitating, respiratory diseases present significant challenges to the psychological well-being of individuals and their families and are recognized to have an impact on health-care services, resources and time. Panic attacks and disorder are particularly prevalent in people with respiratory conditions and appear to be associated with reduced lung function. However, recent evidence suggests that the aetiology of panic in this area may be related more to underlying psychological processes, which can influence cognitions that are related to the experience of respiratory disease and its symptoms. The aim of this article is to give a brief overview of the literature to identify key psychological factors associated with panic and respiratory diseases. The article concludes that panic has a complex aetiology, which requires the presence of specific respiratory-related cognitions. The self-regulatory model can foster understanding of the combination of beliefs/cognitions that can increase the prevalence of negative mood for patients with respiratory diseases.