Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-t8hqh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-20T13:38:20.154Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Measuring disability in subjects with anxiety disorders

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 April 2020

M Placchi
M Placchi*
Affiliation:
UCB SA Pharma Sector, R&D, Chemin du Foriest, B - 1420 Braine-I'Alleud, Belgium
Get access

Summary

Subjects with anxiety disorders display substantial disabilities in health-related quality of life. The Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS) and SF-36 Questionnaire (SF-36) have been administered to subjects with anxiety disorders participating in psychopharmacology clinical trials and observational studies to evaluate their impaired functioning. The SDS does not address and does not include all the disabilities important to subjects with anxiety disorders and susceptible to being affected by drugs with anxiolytic effects, all of which are associated with significant problems. As a single-state-in-time rating, the SDS is often inadequate to discern subtle, but important,changes which may occur between measurements. The SF-36 as a measure of health status can, on the other hand, assess only the patient's behavior most directly affected by the disorder and treatment. As a result, the SF-36 enables the differentiation of functioning and well-being of subjects with anxiety disorders from diverse populations. There is little documentary evidence that demonstrates the value and actual performance of the SDS and SF-36 for the intended purpose. In the absence of a general consensus concerning operational definition, the measurement of disability in this patient population with these scales may be obsolete. There is the need for more specific and simple instruments capable to assess the distinct pattern of impairment associated with subjects with anxiety disorders.

Keywords

anxiety disordersdisabilitySheehan Disability ScaleSF-36 questionnaire
Type
Research Article
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 12 , Issue S3 , 1997 , pp. 249s - 253s
Copyright
Copyright © Elsevier, Paris 1997

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

*

The opinions expressed in this report are those of the author and are not necessary shared by UCB SA Pharma Sector.

References

American Psychiatric Association Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 4th ed.Geneva: American Psychiatric Association, 1994Google Scholar
Barge-Schaapveld, DQCMNicolson, NAVan Der Hoop, R GerritsenDevries, MWChanges in daily life experience associated with clinical improvement in depression. J Affective Disorders 1995; 34: 139–154CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bodlund, OKullgren, CEkselius, LLindström, Evon Knorring, LAxis V — Global Assessment of Functioning Scale. Evaluation of a self-report version. Acta Psychiatr Scand 1994; 90: 342–347CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cronbach, LJCoefficient alpha and the internal structure of tests. Psychometrika 1951; 16: 297–334CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Curran, VHMemory functions, alertness and mood of long-term benzodiazepine users: a preliminary investigation of the effects of a normal daily dose. J Psychopharmacol 1992; 6: 69–75CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Davidson, JRTPotts, NRichichi, EKrishnan, Ret al.Treatment of social phobia with clonazepam and placebo J Clin Psychopharmacol 13 1993 423–428CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Feinstein, ARJosephy, BRWells, CKScientific and clinical problems in indexes of functional disability. Ann Intern Medicine 1986; 105: 413–420CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hamilton, MThe assessment of anxiety states by rating. Br J Med Psychol 1959; 32: 50–55CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Golombok, SMoodley, PLader, MCognitive impairment in longterm benzodiazepine users. Psychol Med 1988; 18: 365–374CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Keller, MBLavori, PWFriedman, BNielsen, Eet al.The Longitudinal Interval Follow-Up Evaluation: a comprehensive method for assessing outcome in prospective longitudinal studies Arch Cen Psychiatry 44 1987 540–548CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Leon, ACShear, KMPortera, LKlerman, LCAssessing impairment in patients with panic disorder: the Sheehan Disability Scale. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 1992; 27: 78–82CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Leon, ACPortera, LWeissman, MMThe social costs of anxiety disorders. Br J Psychiatry 16627s1995 19–22CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Markowitz, JSWeissman, MMOuellette, RLish, JDKlerman, CLQuality of life in panic disorder. Arch Cen Psychiatry 1989; 46: 984–992CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Massion, AOWarshaw, MCKeller, MBQuality of life and psychiatric morbidity in panic disorder and generalized anxiety disorder. Am J Psychiatry 1993; 150: 600–607Google ScholarPubMed
Myers, JKYale Greater New Haven Health Survey. Washington DC: Yale University, 1980Google Scholar
Sheehan, DVThe anxiety disease. New Haven: Scribner, 1983Google Scholar
Spector, WDFunctional disability scales. In: Spilker, B eds. Quality of life and pharmacoeconomics in clinical trials. New York: Lippincott-Raven, 1996; 133–143Google Scholar
Testa, MASimonson, DCAssessment of quality-of-life outcomes. N Engl J Med 1996; 334: 835–840CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ware, JE JrSF -36 health survey manual and interpretation guide. Philadelphia/New York: The Health Institute (New England Medical Center), 1993Google Scholar
Warshaw, MGFierman, EPratt, LHunt, Met al.Quality of life and dissociation in anxiety disorder patients with histories of trauma or PTSD Am J Psychiatry 150 1993 1512–1516Google ScholarPubMed
Weissman, MBothwell, SAssessment of social adjustment by patient self-report. Arch Cen Psychiatry 1976; 33: 1111–1115CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
World Health Organization International classification of impairments, disabilities, and handicaps. Boston: World Health Organization, 1980Google Scholar
Submit a response

Comments

No Comments have been published for this article.