To compare female and male patients with panic disorder with agoraphobia (PDA) in terms of the co-occurring Axis I and Axis II (personality) disorders.

The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders and the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis II Personality Disorders were administered to 157 consecutive outpatients (112 females and 45 males) with PDA, who attended two anxiety disorders clinics. Women and men with PDA were compared with regards to the type and frequency of the co-occurring Axis I and Axis II disorders.

Women with PDA had a statistically greater tendency to receive co-occurring Axis I diagnoses and a greater number of Axis I diagnoses than men. Such a difference was not found for Axis II disorders. There was no gender difference in terms of the mean number of co-occurring Axis I and Axis II diagnoses per patient. There were significantly more women with at least one co-occurring anxiety disorder. Women had a significantly higher frequency of specific phobia, while men were significantly more frequently diagnosed with hypochondriasis and past alcohol abuse/dependence. With regards to Axis II disorders, only dependent personality disorder was significantly more frequent among women.

There are more similarities than differences between genders in terms of the co-occurring Axis I and Axis II disorders. Still, the relatively specific relationships between PDA and excessive alcohol use in men and between PDA and dependent personality traits and personality disorder in women seem important and have implications for clinical practice and treatment.