Here’s a quick overview of 8 key panic disorder screening tools:
| Tool | Type | Key Features | Accuracy |
|---|---|---|---|
| PADIS | 4-question screener | Community screening, symptom severity | 77% sensitivity, 84% specificity |
| PDSS (NovoPsych) | 7-item scale | Measures 7 panic aspects, digital version | 83% sensitivity, 83% specificity |
| PDSS (QxMD) | 7-item scale | Clinician-administered, digital version | 83% sensitivity, 83% specificity |
| PHQ-PD | Quick screener | Used in primary care, 2-part structure | 77% sensitivity, 84% specificity |
| PDSS (Multicenter) | 7-item scale | Research/clinical use, averages scores | 83% sensitivity, 83% specificity |
| Very Brief PDSS | 2-item scale | Ultra-short version of PDSS-SR | 85% sensitivity, 66% specificity |
| PDSS-SR | 7-item self-report | Patient-completed version of PDSS | Good reliability and validity |
| Two-Item PD Scale | 2-item screener | Measures distress and avoidance | 85% sensitivity, 66% specificity |
These tools help identify panic disorder symptoms and severity. Choose based on setting, time available, and information needed. Shorter tests work for quick screening, while longer scales provide more detail.
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1. Panic Disorder Screener (PADIS)
The Panic Disorder Screener (PADIS) is a new tool that checks for panic disorder in communities and measures how bad symptoms are. It was made because there weren’t many short tests that could do both these things.
How Scoring Works
PADIS uses a simple scoring system:
| Part | How It’s Scored | Possible Scores |
|---|---|---|
| First question | 5 choices | 0-4 |
| Other questions | 4 choices each | 0-3 each |
| Total | Add all scores | 0-13 |
The test has three main parts:
- How often you worry about future panic attacks
- How much you worry about what panic attacks might do
- How much you avoid things because of panic
How Well It Works
A big study with 12,336 young Australian adults showed PADIS works well. They compared it to another test called PHQ-panic.
How Good It Is at Finding Panic Disorder
PADIS is good at spotting panic disorder:
| What It Measures | How Good It Is |
|---|---|
| Finding people who have panic disorder | 77% |
| Correctly saying people don’t have it when they don’t | 84% |
These numbers show PADIS works better than PHQ-panic, even though it has fewer questions.
How to Use It
PADIS is a short 4-question test that’s easy to use in many places. It’s good for:
- Big research studies
- Doctor’s offices
- Quick checks at regular check-ups
Because PADIS is short, it’s fast to use but still works well. This makes it helpful for researchers and doctors who want to find people who might have panic disorder.
2. Panic Disorder Severity Scale (PDSS) – NovoPsych
The Panic Disorder Severity Scale (PDSS) is a tool that checks how bad panic disorder symptoms are. You can get it through NovoPsych. It helps doctors measure and track panic symptoms over time.
How Scoring Works
The PDSS has seven parts, each scored from 0 to 4. It looks at:
| Part | What It Measures |
|---|---|
| 1 | How often panic attacks happen |
| 2 | How upset you feel during attacks |
| 3 | How much you worry about future attacks |
| 4 | Fear of places or situations |
| 5 | Fear of body sensations |
| 6 | Problems at work |
| 7 | Problems with social life |
The total score can be 0 to 28. Higher scores mean worse panic symptoms.
How Well It Works
Studies show the PDSS works well:
| What They Checked | How Well It Did |
|---|---|
| Different raters agree | Very good (0.92) |
| All parts work together | Pretty good |
| Matches other panic tests | Very good (0.60–0.78) |
| Doesn’t match depression tests | Good (0.11) |
These results show the PDSS is a good tool for checking panic disorder.
How Good It Is at Finding Panic Disorder
The PDSS is good at telling who has panic disorder:
| What It Does | How Good It Is |
|---|---|
| Finds people with panic disorder | 83% |
| Correctly says people don’t have it when they don’t | 83% |
If someone scores 8 or more, they likely have panic disorder.
How to Use It
NovoPsych makes the PDSS easy to use:
- Scores are ready right away
- You can see how symptoms change over time
- Helps decide on treatment
- Can be sent to patients’ phones
This digital version makes the PDSS quick and easy for doctors to use when checking and watching panic disorder symptoms.
3. Panic Disorder Severity Scale (PDSS) | QxMD
The Panic Disorder Severity Scale (PDSS) on QxMD helps doctors check how bad panic disorder is. It’s based on another test for obsessive-compulsive disorder and is used in research and by doctors.
How Scoring Works
The PDSS looks at seven things, each scored from 0 to 4:
| Item | What It Measures |
|---|---|
| 1 | How often panic attacks happen |
| 2 | How upset you feel during attacks |
| 3 | Worry about future attacks |
| 4 | Fear of places or situations |
| 5 | Fear of body feelings |
| 6 | Problems at work |
| 7 | Problems with social life |
The total score can be 0 to 28. Higher scores mean worse panic symptoms.
How Well It Works
Studies show the PDSS works well:
| What They Checked | How Well It Did |
|---|---|
| Different raters agree | Very good (0.92) |
| All parts work together | Okay (0.65) |
| Matches other panic tests | Good (0.60-0.78) |
| Doesn’t match depression tests | Good (0.11) |
The test seems to have two main parts: one for how often attacks happen and how bad they feel, and another for everything else.
How Good It Is at Finding Panic Disorder
The PDSS is good at telling who has panic disorder:
- Finds people with panic disorder: 83%
- Correctly says people don’t have it when they don’t: 83%
If someone scores 8 or more, they likely have panic disorder.
How to Use It
A trained doctor gives the test by asking questions about the last month. QxMD makes it easy to use:
- Scores are ready right away
- You can see how symptoms change over time
- Helps decide on treatment
- Can be sent to patients’ phones
This digital version makes the PDSS quick and easy for doctors to use when checking and watching panic disorder symptoms.
4. Patient Health Questionnaire-Panic Disorder (PHQ-PD)
The PHQ-PD is a quick test used by doctors to check for panic disorder. It’s often used in regular doctor’s offices to find people who might need more help for panic problems.
How It Works
The PHQ-PD has two main parts:
| Part | What It Does |
|---|---|
| Screening questions | Asks about panic attack symptoms |
| Diagnostic algorithm | Checks how often attacks happen and how they affect life |
How Well It Works
Studies show that the newer version of the PHQ-PD works better than the old one. The first question is especially good at finding people who might have panic disorder.
How Good It Is at Finding Panic Disorder
The PHQ-PD is pretty good at spotting panic disorder:
| What It Measures | How Good It Is |
|---|---|
| Finding people with panic disorder | 77% |
| Correctly saying people don’t have it when they don’t | 84% |
These numbers mean the test is good at finding people who need help and not worrying those who don’t.
How to Use It
The PHQ-PD is easy to use in doctor’s offices:
- Patients can fill it out themselves
- It’s quick to do and score
- Doctors don’t need much training to use it
- It can be part of regular check-ups
- It helps decide if someone needs more tests or treatment
This test is helpful because it’s fast and easy, but still gives doctors good information about panic symptoms.
5. Multicenter Collaborative Panic Disorder Severity Scale
The Multicenter Collaborative Panic Disorder Severity Scale, also called the Panic Disorder Severity Scale (PDSS), is a tool doctors use to check how bad panic disorder is. It’s based on a test for obsessive-compulsive disorder and is often used in research and by doctors.
How Scoring Works
The PDSS looks at seven things about panic disorder:
| Item | What It Measures |
|---|---|
| 1 | How often panic attacks happen |
| 2 | How upset you feel during attacks |
| 3 | Worry about future attacks |
| 4 | Fear of places or situations |
| 5 | Fear of body feelings |
| 6 | Problems at work |
| 7 | Problems with social life |
Each item gets a score from 0 to 4. Higher scores mean worse panic symptoms. The final score is the average of all seven items.
How Well It Works
Studies show the PDSS works well:
| What They Checked | How Well It Did |
|---|---|
| Different raters agree | Very good (0.92) |
| All parts work together | Okay |
| Matches other panic tests | Good |
| Doesn’t match depression tests | Good |
The test is also good at showing changes when people get treatment.
How Good It Is at Finding Panic Disorder
The PDSS is good at telling who has panic disorder:
- Finds people with panic disorder: 83%
- Correctly says people don’t have it when they don’t: 83%
If someone scores 8 or more, they likely have panic disorder.
How to Use It
A trained doctor gives the test by asking questions:
- It’s about the last month
- Takes 10-15 minutes
- Doctors need training to use it right
- Uses set questions and ways to score
The PDSS is helpful for doctors and researchers because it’s not too long but gives good information about panic symptoms.
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6. Very Brief Panic Disorder Symptom Scale
The Very Brief Panic Disorder Symptom Scale is a short version of the Panic Disorder Severity Scale-Self Report (PDSS-SR). It’s a quick way to check for panic disorder symptoms.
How It Works
This scale looks at two main things:
| Item | What It Measures |
|---|---|
| 1 | How upset you feel during panic attacks |
| 2 | How much you avoid places or situations |
Scores range from 0 to 8. If someone scores 3 or more, they might have panic disorder.
How Well It Works
The Very Brief scale works almost as well as the longer PDSS-SR:
| What They Checked | Result |
|---|---|
| How close it is to the full PDSS-SR | 0.87-0.93 |
| How well the items work together | 0.74 |
These numbers show that the short scale is a good stand-in for the longer one.
How Good It Is at Finding Panic Disorder
The scale is pretty good at spotting panic disorder:
| What It Does | How Good It Is |
|---|---|
| Finds people who might have panic disorder | 85% |
| Correctly says people don’t have it when they don’t | 66% |
This means it’s better at finding people who might need help than ruling out those who don’t.
The Very Brief Panic Disorder Symptom Scale is helpful when doctors need to check for panic disorder quickly. It’s not perfect, but it’s a good first step to see if someone needs more testing.
7. Panic Disorder Severity Scale-Self Report (PDSS-SR)
The PDSS-SR is a tool that lets people check their own panic disorder symptoms. It’s based on the doctor-given PDSS test.
How Scoring Works
The PDSS-SR looks at seven things about panic disorder:
| Item | What It Measures |
|---|---|
| 1 | How often panic attacks happen |
| 2 | How bad panic attacks feel |
| 3 | Worry about future attacks |
| 4 | Fear of places or situations |
| 5 | Fear of body feelings |
| 6 | Problems at work |
| 7 | Problems with social life |
People score each item from 0 to 4. Higher scores mean worse symptoms.
How Well It Works
Studies show the PDSS-SR works well:
| What They Checked | Result |
|---|---|
| All parts work together | Good |
| Different raters agree | Very good |
| Doesn’t match other problems | Good |
These results show the PDSS-SR is a good way to check panic disorder symptoms.
How to Use It
The PDSS-SR is easy to use:
- People fill it out themselves
- It asks about the last month
- It takes 10-15 minutes
- You add up the scores to get the result
This test helps doctors see how bad someone’s panic disorder is and if treatment is working.
8. Two-Item Panic Disorder Scale
The Two-Item Panic Disorder Scale is a short test based on the longer Panic Disorder Severity Scale-Self Report (PDSS-SR). It checks two main things about panic disorder:
- How upset people feel during panic attacks
- How much they avoid places or situations
How Scoring Works
The test has just two questions:
| Question | What It Asks About |
|---|---|
| 1 | How upset you feel during panic attacks |
| 2 | How much you avoid places or situations |
Each question gets a score from 0 to 4. The total score can be 0 to 8. Higher scores mean worse symptoms.
How Well It Works
Even though it’s short, the test works well:
| What They Checked | Result |
|---|---|
| How close it is to the full PDSS-SR | 0.87-0.93 |
| How well the questions work together | 0.74 |
These numbers show the test is good at checking for panic disorder symptoms.
How Good It Is at Finding Panic Disorder
If someone scores 3 or more, they might have panic disorder. The test is good at finding people who need help:
| What It Does | How Good It Is |
|---|---|
| Finds people who might have panic disorder | 85% |
| Correctly says people don’t have it when they don’t | 66% |
This means it’s better at finding people who need help than ruling out those who don’t.
How to Use It
The Two-Item Panic Disorder Scale is easy to use:
- It’s very short
- People fill it out themselves
- It’s quick to do and score
- Doctors can use it in many places
This test is good for quick checks or when there’s not much time.
Good and Bad Points
Here’s a table comparing the main pros and cons of each panic disorder screening tool:
| Tool | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| PHQ-Panic | – Short (5 questions) – Easy to read – Works well for screening |
– Yes/No answers only – Not great in doctor’s offices – Misses mild symptoms |
| PDSS-SR | – Measures how bad symptoms are – Often used for screening – Good at telling panic from other issues |
– Longer (7 questions, 1108 words) – Harder to read – Not directly tested for screening |
| PDSS (Interview) | – Questions work well together – Different doctors agree on scores – Shows changes from treatment |
– Needs trained interviewers – Total score not very consistent – May measure more than one thing |
| Modified PHQ-PD | – Better at finding panic disorder than old version – Good for diagnosis |
– Only okay as a test |
| PDSS (Cut-off score) | – Good at telling panic from other issues – Score of 8 or more means likely panic disorder |
– Misses some cases (83% accurate) |
When picking a panic disorder screening tool, think about:
-
Where you’ll use it: Some work better in doctor’s offices, others in research.
-
Time: Shorter tests like PHQ-Panic are good when you’re short on time.
-
How bad symptoms are: Choose tests that give a range of scores, not just yes/no answers.
-
Reading level: Make sure people can understand the questions.
-
Training needed: Some tests, like the PDSS interview, need trained people to give them.
Wrap-up
After looking at eight tools for checking panic disorder, we found some key points:
Main Findings
| Tool | Good Points | Not-so-good Points |
|---|---|---|
| PDSS | – Works well overall – Different doctors agree on scores – Good at finding panic disorder |
– Needs trained people to use it |
| PHQ-PD | – Quick to use – Good for regular doctor visits |
– Not as detailed as other tools |
| PDSS-SR | – People can fill it out themselves – Matches well with other anxiety tests |
– Might miss some details |
What to Think About When Picking a Tool
- How much time you have
- Where you’ll use it (like a doctor’s office or research study)
- If you need special training to use it
- What kind of information you want to get
Why These Tools Matter
Using these tools can help doctors:
- Find panic disorder early
- See how bad someone’s symptoms are
- Check if treatment is working
FAQs
What is the best assessment tool for panic disorder?
There’s no single "best" tool for checking panic disorder. Different tools work well in different situations. Here are some good options:
| Tool | Good Points | Not-so-good Points |
|---|---|---|
| Panic Disorder Screener (PADIS) | – Short and quick – Finds 77% of people with panic disorder – Correctly says 84% of people don’t have it when they don’t |
– Newer, so less widely used |
| Patient Health Questionnaire-Panic Disorder (PHQ-PD) | – Very good at saying people don’t have panic disorder when they don’t (91%) – Works well in regular doctor’s offices |
– Misses some people who do have panic disorder (only finds 57%) |
| Panic Disorder Severity Scale (PDSS) | – Checks how bad symptoms are – Different doctors agree on scores – Shows if treatment is working |
– Takes longer to use – Needs trained people to give it |
When picking a tool, think about:
- Where you’ll use it (like a regular doctor’s office or a mental health clinic)
- How much time you have
- What kind of information you need
For quick checks at a regular doctor’s office, the PHQ-PD might work best. If you need more details about symptoms, the PDSS could be better.
