Comorbid panic disorder in patients with winter depression.

Abstract

This study investigated the prevalence of comorbid panic disorder in patients with recurrent wintertime episodes of major depression. The subjects were 38 patients (10 male and 28 female) who met the DSM-III-R criteria for major depression with a seasonal pattern (wintertime depression). Diagnoses of panic disorder were made according to the DSM-III-R criteria. Nine (23.7%) of the subjects (four women and five men) met the criteria for panic disorder. Their panic attacks and depressive symptoms had simultaneous onset in the fall or winter and remitted spontaneously in the spring. Patients with winter depression appear to be at high risk for simultaneous panic disorder, consistent with results from studies in which season of illness was not considered.