General Hospital Psychiatry
Volume 26, Issue 5, 2004, Pages 390-397

Olfactory-triggered panic attacks among Cambodian refugees attending a psychiatric clinic (Article)

Hinton D.E. , Pich V. , Chhean D. , Pollack M.H. , Barlow D.H.
  • a Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit St., Boston, MA 02114, USA, United States, Southeast Asian Clinic, Arbour Counseling Services, 10 Bridge St., Lowell, MA 01852, USA, United States, Arbour Counseling Services, 10 Bridge Street, Simpson Block, Lowell, MA 01852, USA, United States
  • b Southeast Asian Clinic, Arbour Counseling Services, 10 Bridge St., Lowell, MA 01852, USA, United States
  • c Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit St., Boston, MA 02114, USA, United States, Southeast Asian Clinic, Arbour Counseling Services, 10 Bridge St., Lowell, MA 01852, USA, United States
  • d Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit St., Boston, MA 02114, USA, United States
  • e Ctr. Anxiety Related Disord. B., Boston, MA 02114, USA, United States

Abstract

Olfactory panic attacks have not been systematically assessed in a psychiatric population by any previous studies. Among Cambodian refugees attending a psychiatric clinic, the present investigation determines the following: (a) 1-month current prevalence of olfactory-triggered panic attacks, (b) associated psychopathology (Hopkins Symptom Checklist and the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV-diagnosed posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD]), and (c) frequency in events of olfactory panic of catastrophic cognitions (Panic Attack Cognitions Scale [PACQ]) and flashbacks (Clinician-Administered PTSD flashback scale). Forty-five percent of 100 consecutive psychiatric patients were found to have suffered an olfactory-triggered panic attack in the previous month; having current olfactory panic attacks was highly correlated with psychopathology (e.g., to PTSD diagnosis: and χ 2=50.0; df=1; p<.001); and during olfactory-triggered panic attacks, catastrophic cognitions and flashbacks were common. Possible mechanisms for generation of high rates of olfactory-triggered panic attacks in this population are discussed (the "traumatic memory/catastrophic cognitions/interoceptive conditioning/escalating arousal" or "TCIE" model of panic generation) as are treatment implications. © 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Author Keywords

Southeast Asia Panic disorder posttraumatic stress disorder Cambodia Panic attacks Refugees Olfactory trauma

Index Keywords

olfactory tract Smell Odors association Panic Disorder refugee memory population Cambodia Massachusetts correlation analysis human Life Change Events Refugees comorbidity middle aged injury Interview, Psychological Psychopathology disaster diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders panic Cross-Sectional Studies mental disease interview Humans male female cognition prevalence Article major clinical study adult posttraumatic stress disorder Defense Mechanisms Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic mental hospital Mental Recall
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-4944230980&doi=10.1016%2fj.genhosppsych.2004.04.007&partnerID=40&md5=10ed324166a80ff8ea3ceb2e95ebacbf
DOI: 10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2004.04.007
ISSN: 01638343
Cited by: 24
Original Language: English