Panic Disorder Severity Scale (PDSS)
Helps monitor response to treatment by measuring severity of panic symptoms and their occurrence.
Refer to the text below the calculator for more information about this clinician-rated scale and its usage.
The PDSS questionnaire consists of 7 questions developed for measuring the severity of panic disorder and to provide clinicians with a reliable tool for monitoring treatment.
Please note this scale is not a diagnostic tool, but can be used to detect possible symptoms of panic disorder and trigger a formal diagnostic assessment. It is easy to administer (time duration 5-10 min) and so can also be used as a screening tool but due to its sensitivity to change, it is most widely used to monitor response to treatment.
The PDSS was associated with excellent interrater reliability, moderate internal consistency, and positive levels of validity and sensitivity to change.
Each of the 7 items are rated on a 5-point scale (from 0 to 4), so final scores range from 0 to 28, where the higher the score the greater the degree of panic disorder symptom severity. A composite score may also be documented, by dividing the score to 7.
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Panic Disorder Severity Scale Explained
The PDSS questionnaire consists of 7 questions developed for measuring the severity of panic disorder and to provide clinicians with a reliable tool for monitoring treatment.
Please note this scale is not a diagnostic tool, but can be used to detect possible symptoms of panic disorder and trigger a formal diagnostic assessment. It is easy to administer (time duration 5-10 min) and so can be used as a screening tool.
The PDSS questions address:
- Panic frequency;
- Distress during panic;
- Panic-focused anticipatory anxiety;
- Phobic avoidance of situations;
- Phobic avoidance of physical sensations;
- Impairment in work functioning;
- Impairment in social functioning.
To complete the scale, the patient may require further clarification as to what represents panic attacks and limited symptom attacks. For the purpose of the PDSS questionnaire a panic attack is defined as a sudden rush of fear or discomfort accompanied by at least 4 of the symptoms listed below:
- Rapid or pounding heartbeat;
- Chest pain or discomfort;
- Chills or hot flushes;
- Sweating;
- Nausea;
- Fear of losing control or Trembling or shaking;
- Dizziness or faintness going crazy;
- Breathlessness;
- Feelings of unreality;
- Fear of dying;
- Feeling of choking;
- Numbness or tingling.
Episodes like panic attacks but having fewer than 4 of the listed symptoms are called limited symptom attacks.
Each of the 7 items are rated on a 5-point scale (from 0 to 4), so final scores range from 0 to 28, where the higher the score the greater the degree of panic disorder symptom severity. A composite score may also be documented, by dividing the score to 7.
The PDSS (developed in 1997) is best used after diagnosis, as it carries good sensitivity to change and so can help monitor response to treatment. The scale demonstrated adequate internal consistency and reliability, excellent inter-rater reliability, good discriminant validity and sensitivity to change.
References
Original reference
Shear MK, Brown TA, Barlow DH, et al. Multicenter collaborative panic disorder severity scale. Am J Psychiatry. 1997;154(11):1571-5.
Other references
Furukawa TA, Katherine shear M, Barlow DH, et al. Evidence-based guidelines for interpretation of the Panic Disorder Severity Scale. Depress Anxiety. 2009; 26(10):922-9.
Houck PR, Spiegel DA, Shear MK, Rucci P. Reliability of the self-report version of the panic disorder severity scale. Depression and anxiety. 2002; 15(4):183-5.
Specialty: Psychiatry
Year Of Study: 1997
Abbreviation: PDSS
Article By: Denise Nedea
Published On: November 3, 2020 · 12:00 AM
Last Checked: November 3, 2020
Next Review: November 3, 2025