Comorbidity among the anxiety disorders

This paper reports on the diagnoses of 120 consecutive referrals to an outpatient research program on anxiety disorders. Patients were diagnosed according to DSM-III-R criteria using a structured interview. Patterns of comorbidity among disorders were examined using two diagnostic procedures. One procedure was based on the temporal sequence of disorders, the other on the relative interference with patient functioning. The two procedures rendered different findings, with simple and social phobia more often assigned as primary diagnosis in the temporal procedure, and panic disorder with agoraphobia most often assigned as primary interference diagnosis. Comparison of comorbidity patterns for panic disorders patients with findings from an American sample revealed no significant differences. Findings from this study are discussed in terms of their implications for assessment and research. It is suggested that the diagnostic criteria for simple phobia are somewhat problematic