Dizziness- and Palpitations-predominant Orthostatic Panic: Physiology,Flashbacks, and Catastrophic Cognitions

In an orthostatic challenge, Cambodian patients with orthostatic panic in the last month (OP patients) sometimes panicked during orthostatic challenge, whereas those without orthostatic panic in the last month (NOP patients) did not. Also, OP patients with primarily dizziness during orthostatic challenge panic (OP_OCP-D) had a less vigorous physiological response than two other groups: (a) OP patients with primarily palpitations during orthostatic challenge panic (OP_OCP-P) and (b) NOP patients who had no symptoms during orthostatic challenge (NOP_NOCP-NS). Among the patients experiencing orthostatic challenge–induced panic (i.e., the OP_OCP-D and OP_OCP-P patients), there were prominent orthostatic challenge–induced flashbacks and catastrophic cognitions, and the severity of orthostatic challenge–induced flashbacks and catastrophic cognitions correlated with the severity of orthostatic panic in the previous month and with the severity of orthostatic challenge–induced panic.