Is parental death a selective precursor to either panic disorder or agoraphobia?: A test of the separation anxiety hypothesis

Abstract

In a controlled chart-review study of the separation anxiety hypothesis (SAH) of agoraphobia or panic disorder, the incidence of parental (maternal and paternal) deaths was recorded from the histories of 40 patients, each with panic disorder, agoraphobia, and a control group of simple phobics. The overall incidence of parental loss was low in all three groups, and there were no significant differences among them either in terms of the incidence of parental death or in patient ages at the time of parental death. It is concluded from these results and on a review of other studies on the SAH that the hypothesis is not well supported and should be abandoned in the DSM-IV.