The Role of Anxiety Sensitivity in the Comorbidity of Anxiety Disorder and Depression

Abstract

The role of anxiety sensitivity in the development and treatment of psychiatric disorders is an issue that should receive attention. In this study, it was aimed to examine the existence of cognitive concerns in patients diagnosed with Anxiety Disorder and comorbid Depression in the light of the literature. A total of 112 patients diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (n:50), Panic Disorder (n:50), Social Anxiety (n:9) and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (n:3) upon referral to the psychiatry outpatient clinic were included in study. Because of their small numbers, the Social Anxiety and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder patients were excluded from the study. The patients involved in the study were divided into two groups. Those patients diagnosed with Anxiety Disorder without comorbid Depression generated one of the groups and those patients diagnosed with both Anxiety Disorder and Depression generated the other group. While the patients diagnosed with Panic Disorder were assessed by the Panic and Agoraphobia Scale in terms of the severity of the symptoms, the patients diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder were assessed by the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 Scale. The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale and Anxiety Sensitivity Index-3 were applied to all patients. The patients diagnosed with both Anxiety Disorder and Depression had higher cognitive concerns than the other group, and further, a correlation between the severity of depression and cognitive concerns was observed. This correlation revealed the importance of especially the cognitive aspect of anxiety sensitivity in the development and treatment of depression comorbid with anxiety disorders.