Levels of "nonclinical panic".

Many individuals experience DSM-III-R-defined panic attacks but do not seek treatment--"nonclinical panic". However, there is a substantial range in the frequency of panic attacks reported by these individuals. The present study compared 35 frequent panickers (panic in a 3-week period), 50 infrequent panickers (panic in the past year only), and 267 nonpanickers (no lifetime history of panic) on several measures of psychopathology and panic attack characteristics. Only the frequent panickers had significantly elevated levels of self-reported psychopathology and phobic avoidance compared to nonpanickers, and the three groups of subjects differed significantly on anxiety sensitivity scores. Frequent and infrequent panickers reported similar panic attack characteristics. Overall, the results strongly suggest that only frequent panickers exemplify the anxiety state referred to as "nonclinical panic."