Suicide, chemical abuse, and panic attacks: a preliminary report.

Seventy-two chemical abuse patients who either met DSM-III-R criteria for panic disorder (PD), experienced infrequent panic attacks (IP), or did not experience panic attacks in the past year (NP) were compared on several dimensions. PD subjects were more likely to be female and to have attempted suicide. Patients who had attempted suicide, when compared to non-suicide attempters, were more likely to be classified as having PD, and be non-married. IP and NP groups did not differ on any of the relevant variables. The similarities of these findings to those obtained with PD and chemical abuse patients are discussed.