TY - JOUR
T1 - Anxiety induced by false heart rate feedback in patients with panic disorder
AU - Ehlers, Anke
AU - Margraf, Jürgen
AU - Roth, Walton T.
AU - Taylor, C. Barr
AU - Birbaumer, Niels
PY - 1988
Y1 - 1988
N2 - The psychophysiological model of panic attacks postulates a positive feedback loop between anxiety symptoms and the patient's anxious reaction to these symptoms. We tested the underlying assumption that the appraisal of bodily change can induce anxiety in this patient group. Twenty-five patients with panic disorder or agoraphobia with panic attacks (DSM-III) and 25 matched normal controls were given false feedback of an abrupt heart rate increase. Self-ratings of anxiety and excitement, heart rate, skin conductance level, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure were taken. On all measures, patients who believed that the feedback was accurate (N = 19) responded differently to the false feedback than controls (N = 16). Patients showed increases in anxiety and physiological arousal. The preceding true heart rate feedback did not induce changes in anxiety. Patients and controls did not differ in their accuracy of heart rate perception. The results underline the role of appraisal processes and the fear of anxiety symptoms in panic disorder.
AB - The psychophysiological model of panic attacks postulates a positive feedback loop between anxiety symptoms and the patient's anxious reaction to these symptoms. We tested the underlying assumption that the appraisal of bodily change can induce anxiety in this patient group. Twenty-five patients with panic disorder or agoraphobia with panic attacks (DSM-III) and 25 matched normal controls were given false feedback of an abrupt heart rate increase. Self-ratings of anxiety and excitement, heart rate, skin conductance level, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure were taken. On all measures, patients who believed that the feedback was accurate (N = 19) responded differently to the false feedback than controls (N = 16). Patients showed increases in anxiety and physiological arousal. The preceding true heart rate feedback did not induce changes in anxiety. Patients and controls did not differ in their accuracy of heart rate perception. The results underline the role of appraisal processes and the fear of anxiety symptoms in panic disorder.
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U2 - 10.1016/0005-7967(88)90028-9
DO - 10.1016/0005-7967(88)90028-9
M3 - Article
C2 - 3341996
AN - SCOPUS:0023742323
VL - 26
SP - 1
EP - 11
JO - Behaviour Research and Therapy
JF - Behaviour Research and Therapy
SN - 0005-7967
IS - 1
ER -