Waning of panic sensations during prolonged hyperventilation

Marcel A. van den Hout*, Peter de Jong, Jan Zandbergen, Harald Merckelbach

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Recent theories about panic emphasize that a hyperventilatory positive feedback loop is involved in panic: catastrophic misinterpretation of bodily sensations may trigger anxiety, anxiety may stimulate hyperventilation, hyperventilation may promote the salience of feared sensations etc. Such models leave unexplained how and when panics come to an end. It was hypothesised that panic with hyperventilation may end because pronounced hyperventilation becomes, in the course of time, less powerful in generating perceivable bodily sensations. Twenty healthy subjects hyperventilated forcefully and experienced clear panic symptoms as defined by DSM IIIR. When pCO2 was kept 55% below base line for 90 min, panic symptoms waned. The mean intensity of the symptoms declined as did the number of symptoms occurring. No panic symptoms were observed in the control group (n = 20) who ventilated normally. In so far as hyperventilation is involved in the positive feedback loops that characterize panic, panic attacks may be time-limited because sensations induced by hyperventilation become less salient even if massive hyperventilation continues. As to the explanation of the reported phenomenon, it is suggested that, apart from habituation, local physiological changes due to prolonged hyperventilation may produce a decrease in interoceptive input.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)445-448
Number of pages4
JournalBehaviour Research and Therapy
Volume28
Issue number5
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 1990
Externally publishedYes

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