Salkovskis P M, Clark D M, Gelder M G
Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Warneford Hospital, UK.
Behav Res Ther. 1996 May-Jun;34(5-6):453-8. doi: 10.1016/0005-7967(95)00083-6.
The cognitive theory of panic disorder proposes that panic attacks occur as a result of an enduring tendency to misinterpret bodily sensations as a sign of imminent catastrophe such as a heart attack. The persistence of such catastrophic cognitions is in part due to the tendency of patients to avoid and/or escape situations where panic occurs. It is proposed that within-situation safety seeking behaviours also have the effect of maintaining catastrophic cognitions in the face of repeated panics during which the feared catastrophe does not occur. The association between catastrophic cognitions and within-situation safety behaviours matched the pattern predicted from the cognitive theory in 147 panic disorder patients. The implications of these findings for the way in which therapy is conducted are discussed.
惊恐障碍的认知理论认为，惊恐发作是由于长期存在一种将身体感觉误解为即将发生灾难（如心脏病发作）的迹象的倾向所致。这种灾难性认知的持续存在部分是由于患者倾向于避免和/或逃离惊恐发作的情境。有人提出，情境内的安全寻求行为在面对反复出现的惊恐发作（在此期间可怕的灾难并未发生）时，也会起到维持灾难性认知的作用。在147名惊恐障碍患者中，灾难性认知与情境内安全行为之间的关联与认知理论所预测的模式相符。本文讨论了这些发现对治疗方式的启示。
