Divided and selective attention in panic disorder. A comparative study of patients with panic disorder, major depression and healthy controls.

OBJECTIVE: While depression is definitely a condition with diminished attentional functioning, there is little evidence as to whether attention is also disturbed in panic disorder. In the present study patients with panic disorder and with depression were compared by means of neuropsychological tests which assess selective and divided attention.
METHOD: Twenty-one inpatients with a Panic Disorder, 21 inpatients with a Major Depressive Disorder (DSM-IV diagnoses) and 20 healthy control subjects were investigated drug free. Neuropsychological standard tests were used to measure selective attention (Signal Detection, Wiener-Test-system) and divided attention (Gesichtsfeld-/Neglectprüfung, TAP), which allow the discrimination between left and right visual field stimulus processing.
RESULTS: Patients with panic disorder and depression responded significantly slower than healthy control subjects in the test for divided attention, while no differences were found between the two groups of patients. In contrast, there were no differences among the groups of patients and control subjects in regard to reaction time in the test for selective attention. Stimulus presentations in the left and right visual fields did not affect the reaction times differently.
CONCLUSIONS: Patients with panic disorder appeared as disturbed in their attentional functioning as patients with depression. Therefore, ignoring attentional deficits in patients with panic disorder is not justified.