Metacognitions in panic disorder

Objective: Metacognitions can be effective in occurrence and maintaining of mental illnesses. The objective of this study is to reveal the metacognitions in patients with panic disorder (PD) and to investigate the relations between metacognitions and clinical features in PD. Methods: Eighty-four patients with panic disorder and sixty-five healthy controls were enrolled to the study. Metacognition Scale (MCQ), Panic Agoraphobia Scale (PAS) and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) were applied to PD patients. MCQ were applied to control group. Results: It was detected that PD patients, compare to healthy controls had more dysfunctional metacognitions and they were using more ‘uncontrollability and danger’ metacognition in large effect size, where as ‘the need to control thoughts’ in moderate effect size than healthy control. Significant mild degree positive correlation was found between total score of PAS and ‘uncontrollability and danger’ subscale of MCQ. In subscale of PAS only anticipatory anxiety was significantly correlated with metacognitions. This correlation was between anticipatory anxiety with ‘uncontrollability and danger’ and ‘need to control thoughts’ metacognitions in positive direction, mild degree. Also significant correlations between BAI with ‘uncontrollability and danger’, and ‘the need to control thoughts’ and total score of MCQ were found. Discussion: Dysfunctional metacognitions were high in PD patients. In PD ‘uncontrollability and danger’ and ‘need to control thoughts’ have important role. There was a mild but significant correlation with these two metacognition and anticipatory anxiety.