This Article  • References  • Full text PDF  • Reply to article  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in this journal  Social Bookmarking   What's this?

Eve J. Wiseman, MD
Special Treatment Section John L. McClellan Memorial Veterans Affairs Hospital 4300 W 7th St, Slot 116-E Little Rock, AR 72205

Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1994;51(5):429-430.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

In their article, Southwick et al¹ did not discuss the ramifications of the high rate (85%) of life-time alcohol dependence in their subjects. They concluded that posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and panic disorder may "share a common neurobiological abnormality that is related to altered sensitivity of the noradrenergic system."¹ However, the authors did not mention what impact alcohol dependence might have on panic disorder or on the noradrenergic system.

In a review of the relationship between alcohol problems and anxiety disorders, it was suggested that sumptoms of panic disorder often result from, rather than cause, problem drinking.² Kushner et al² speculated that the cumulative effects of alcohol withdrawal (autonomic nervous system hyperexcitability), toxic effects of long-term alcohol use, and negative alcohol-related consequences (social, legal, and interpersonal) may trigger symptoms of panic disorder. It has also been proposed that the chemical and cognitive changes from repeated alcohol withdrawals . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter     What's this?