Correlations of quality of life with adverse effects of medication, social support, course of illness, psychopathology, and demographic characteristics in patients with panic disorder.

Care of patients with panic disorder has raised quality-of-life (QOL) issues. The purpose of this study was to identify the level of QOL in patients with panic disorder and to examine the relationships between QOL and adverse effects of medication, social support, course of illness, psychopathology, and demographic characteristics. We recruited 57 patients with panic disorder from outpatient psychiatric clinics. We measured their QOL levels with the Short Form of the World Health Organization Questionnaire on Quality of Life-Taiwan Version (the WHOQOL-BREF Taiwan version) and examined the correlates of QOL. The analysis revealed that multiple factors were associated with poor QOL in patients with panic disorder, including severe adverse effects of medication for panic disorder, perceived low social support, severe current panic symptoms, total Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) score>/=17, young age, being unmarried, and early onset of panic disorder. The QOL of patients with panic disorder was correlated to multiple factors that were specific to individual subjects and influenced by interactions with treatment and the social environment. The results provide screening factors so that clinicians can intervene to improve QOL for their patients with panic disorder.