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Zsido AN, Kiss BL, Basler J, Birkas B, Coelho CM. Key factors behind various specific phobia subtypes. Sci Rep 2023; 13:22281. [PMID: 38097804 PMCID: PMC10721914 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-49691-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023] Open
Abstract
While it has been suggested that more than a quarter of the whole population is at risk of developing some form of specific phobia (SP) during their lives, we still know little about the various risk and protective factors and underlying mechanisms. Moreover, although SPs are distinct mental disorder categories, most studies do not distinguish between them, or stress their differences. Thus, our study was manifold. We examined the psychometric properties of the Specific Phobia Questionnaire (SPQ) and assessed whether it can be used for screening in the general population in a large sample (N = 685). Then, using general linear modeling on a second sample (N = 432), we tested how potential socio-demographic, cognitive emotion regulatory, and personality variables were associated with the five SP subtypes. Our results show that the SPQ is a reliable screening tool. More importantly, we identified transdiagnostic (e.g., younger age, female gender, rumination, catastrophizing, positive refocusing) as well as phobia-specific factors that may contribute to the development and maintenance of SPs. Our results support previous claims that phobias are more different than previously thought, and, consequently, should be separately studied, instead of collapsing into one category. Our findings could be pertinent for both prevention and intervention strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andras N Zsido
- Institute of Psychology, University of Pécs, 6 Ifjusag Street, Pécs, Baranya, 7624, Hungary.
- Szentágothai Research Centre, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary.
| | - Botond L Kiss
- Institute of Psychology, University of Pécs, 6 Ifjusag Street, Pécs, Baranya, 7624, Hungary
| | - Julia Basler
- Institute of Psychology, University of Pécs, 6 Ifjusag Street, Pécs, Baranya, 7624, Hungary
| | - Bela Birkas
- Medical School, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary
| | - Carlos M Coelho
- Department of Psychology, University of the Azores, Ponta Delgada, Portugal
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Caldirola D, De Donatis D, Alciati A, Daccò S, Perna G. Pharmacological approaches to the management of panic disorder in older patients: a systematic review. Expert Rev Neurother 2023; 23:1013-1029. [PMID: 37676054 DOI: 10.1080/14737175.2023.2254938] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2023] [Accepted: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 09/08/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Recommendations for treating panic disorder (PD) in older patients are scarce. The authors have systematically reviewed whether several recommended medications are superior to others and their optimal doses in this age group. METHODS A database search of studies involving patients with PD with/without agoraphobia aged ≥ 60 years was carried out using PubMed, PsycINFO, Embase, and Clinical Trials.gov, from their inception dates to 1 March 2023. Only four (published from 2002 to 2010) of the 1292 records screened were included. A risk of bias assessment was provided. This systematic review was performed using The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). RESULTS Two studies were randomized clinical trials, whereas two were open-label, including paroxetine, citalopram, escitalopram, and sertraline; three studies reported short-term evaluations, whereas one study included a 26-week follow-up. Medications provided benefits, with good tolerability. Preliminary results suggested greater benefits of paroxetine in reducing panic attacks vs. cognitive - behavioral therapy, and an earlier decrease in PAs with escitalopram vs. citalopram. Risk of bias was considerable. CONCLUSIONS The pharmacological management of PD in older patients has received no attention. Findings are scant, dated, and affected by methodological flaws; thus, they do not provide significant advances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Caldirola
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele, Italy
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Villa San Benedetto Menni Hospital, Hermanas Hospitalarias, Albese con Cassano, Italy
- Humanitas San Pio X, Personalized Medicine Center for Anxiety and Panic Disorders, Milan, Italy
| | - Domenico De Donatis
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele, Italy
- Humanitas San Pio X, Personalized Medicine Center for Anxiety and Panic Disorders, Milan, Italy
| | - Alessandra Alciati
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Villa San Benedetto Menni Hospital, Hermanas Hospitalarias, Albese con Cassano, Italy
- Humanitas Clinical and Research Center, IRCCS, Rozzano, Italy
| | - Silvia Daccò
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele, Italy
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Villa San Benedetto Menni Hospital, Hermanas Hospitalarias, Albese con Cassano, Italy
- Humanitas San Pio X, Personalized Medicine Center for Anxiety and Panic Disorders, Milan, Italy
| | - Giampaolo Perna
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele, Italy
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Villa San Benedetto Menni Hospital, Hermanas Hospitalarias, Albese con Cassano, Italy
- Humanitas San Pio X, Personalized Medicine Center for Anxiety and Panic Disorders, Milan, Italy
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Mohlman J, Lauderdale S, Wuthrich V. Subscales of the Fear Survey Schedule-III in Community Dwelling Older Adults - Relations to Clinical and Cognitive Measures. Clin Gerontol 2020; 43:281-294. [PMID: 30706768 DOI: 10.1080/07317115.2019.1571554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Objectives: One major obstacle to the diagnosis and treatment of specific phobias in later life is the lack of assessment tools that are relevant to the fears of older adults. This study investigated the utility of five reliable subscales (Blood/Injury, Agoraphobia, Aggression, Animal/Insect, Social Fears) derived from the Fear Survey Schedule-III, a popular measure of phobic fear, in discriminating older from younger participants.Method: The sample was comprised of 81 younger and 61 older adults who completed self-report measures of anxiety and depression and neuropsychological tests.Results: Older adults scored significantly higher than their younger counterparts only on the Aggression subscale of the FSS-III; whereas younger adults scored significantly higher than the older group only on the Social Fears subscale. These subscales showed slightly different associations with other measures of anxiety, depression, and intelligence across age groups. Within the older sample, scores on the Aggression subscale were significantly higher than all other subscales except for Social Fears.Conclusions: It is recommended that clinicians and researchers use subscale scores derived from the FSS-III, rather than total scores, when treating and studying fears of later life.Clinical Implications: Use of FSS-III subscales in assessment could result in improved detection and treatment of phobias in later life, and thus raise quality of life among the elderly. Older adults' fears of victimization should be prioritized as a possible treatment target in clinical settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Mohlman
- Department of Psychology, William Paterson University, New Jersey, USA
| | - Sean Lauderdale
- Psychology and Special Education, Texas A&M-Commerce, Texas, USA
| | - Viviana Wuthrich
- Centre for Emotional Health, Department of Psychology, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
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Coelho CM, Balaban CD. Visuo-vestibular contributions to anxiety and fear. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2014; 48:148-59. [PMID: 25451199 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2014.10.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2014] [Revised: 08/25/2014] [Accepted: 10/28/2014] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
The interactive roles of the visual and vestibular systems allow for postural control within boundaries of perceived safety. In specific circumstances, visual vestibular and postural interactions act as a cue that trigger fear, similarly to what occurs in motion sickness. Unusual patterns of visuo-vestibular interaction that emerge without warning can elicit fear, which can then become associated to a certain stimuli or situation, creating a CS-US association, (i.e., phobia), or can emerge without warning but also without becoming associated to a particular concomitant event (i.e., panic). Depending on the individual sensitivity to visuo-vestibular unusual patterns and its impact in postural control, individuals will be more or less vulnerable to develop these disorders. As such, the mechanism we here propose is also sufficient to explain the lack of certain fears albeit exposure. Following this rationale, a new subcategory of anxiety disorders, named visuo-vestibular fears can be considered. This model brings important implications for developmental and evolutionary psychological science, and invites to place visuo-vestibular fears in a particular subtype or specification within the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos M Coelho
- University of Minho, School of Engineering, Centro Algoritmi, Guimarães, Portugal; University of Queensland, Queensland Brain Institute, Brisbane, Australia.
| | - Carey D Balaban
- University of Pittsburgh, School of Med, Department of Otolaryngology, Eye & Ear Inst., Pittsburgh, PA, USA; University of Pittsburgh, Department of Neurobiology, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; University of Pittsburgh, Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; University of Pittsburgh, Department of Bioengineering, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
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Gonçalves DC, Byrne GJ. Who worries most? Worry prevalence and patterns across the lifespan. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry 2013; 28:41-9. [PMID: 22374912 DOI: 10.1002/gps.3788] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2011] [Accepted: 01/13/2012] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To examine the age-related worry patterns in a population-based sample of self-reported worriers. METHODS The National Survey of Mental Health and Well-Being is a multistage stratified epidemiologic survey of mental health conducted in Australia in 2007. Participants were surveyed using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. All participants who reported a period of pervasive worry were included in this study (N = 3735, 16-85 years of age, 61% female). RESULTS Compared with younger adults (16-29 years of age; N = 860), older adults (65-85 years of age; N = 639) reported fewer worries [odds ratio (OR) = 0.36, p < 0.01] and a lower likelihood of worrying about interpersonal relations (OR = 0.66, p < 0.01), health (OR = 0.65, p < 0.05), work (OR = 0.39, p < 0.01), and miscellaneous topics (OR = 0.57, p < 0.01), but a higher likelihood of worrying about the health and welfare of loved ones (OR = 2.46, p < 0.01) after adjusting for socio-demographic and clinical factors. Similar patterns were seen in older persons with and without a lifetime history of generalized anxiety disorder as diagnosed by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. CONCLUSIONS The findings indicated an overall decrease in worry count with advancing age, as well as a developmental distribution of worry content, and a quantitative but not qualitative distinction between normal and pathological worriers. Overall, these findings might contribute to the understanding of worry processes and the phenomenology of generalized anxiety disorder in older cohorts.
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Alramadhan E, Hanna MS, Hanna MS, Goldstein TA, Avila SM, Weeks BS. Dietary and botanical anxiolytics. Med Sci Monit 2012; 18:RA40-8. [PMID: 22460105 PMCID: PMC3560823 DOI: 10.12659/msm.882608] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Drugs used to treat anxiety have many negative side effects including addiction, depression, suicide, seizures, sexual dysfunction, headaches and more. Anxiolytic medications do not restore normal levels of neurotransmitters but instead manipulate the brain chemistry. For example, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) prevent the reuptake of serotonin from the synapse allowing serotonin to remain in the area of activity for a longer period of time but does not correct the lack of serotonin production. Benzodiazepines, such as Valium and Xanax®, stimulate GABA receptors, thus mimicking the calming effects of GABA but again do not fix the lack of GABA production. Often, the brain becomes accustomed to these medications and they often lose their effectiveness, requiring higher doses or different drugs. In contrast to anxiolytic drugs, there are herbs and nutrients which can stimulates neurotransmitter synthesis and more naturally effect and even adjust brain chemistry in the absence of many of the side effects experienced with drugs. Therefore this paper explores several herbal and nutritional approaches to the treatment of anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elham Alramadhan
- Department of Biology Adelphi University, One South Avenue, Garden City, NY 11530, USA
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