Clinical differentiation between major depression only, major depression with panic disorder and panic disorder only

Abstract

A consecutive sample of 298 nonpsychotic psychiatric outpatients was classified according to DSM-III and divided into 4 diagnostic groups: pure major depression, mixed major depression/panic disorder, pure panic disorder and a remaining group of other disorders. The patients'' reports of childhood relationship to parents and siblings, family atmosphere, their own personality characteristics as children and precipitating events were compared in the various groups. In addition, differences in personality and frequencies of personality disorders were investigated by mean of various instruments. Our results show that the type of the relationship to parents in childhood differed in the various groups. The mother seems to be the most crucial person for the development of depression, the father for the development of panic disorder. Patients with major depression are more obsessive and patients with panic disorder more infantile and avoidant with less control of their personality. Finally, patients with mixed conditions are more in accordance with the DSM-III anxious personality disorder cluster.