| Summary: | It has been suggested that people with psychosis as well as people with panic disorder experience similar internal experiences (thoughts, emotions, body state information) but interpret them in different ways. This study seeks to explore the extent to which individuals who experience delusions and those who experience panic are similar in terms of their interpretations of common somatic symptoms and to explore other factors which have been implicated in causing and maintaining delusions. This has implications for the further understanding and treatment of delusions. This study used a between groups design and was based on an opportunity sample of inpatients in a psychiatric ward and out patients attending clinical psychology and psychiatry departments. Three groups of participants were recruited for this study which included 16 people who were experiencing delusions, 11 people who were experiencing panic disorder, and 15 healthy individuals who have no previous history of mental health problems. The participants filled in self-report questionnaires measuring somatic attributions; metacognitions; experiential avoidance; state/trait anxiety; delusion proneness; self-esteem and emotionality. Significant differences were found between the clinical groups and the healthy control group on scores for all 7 measures, supporting the hypotheses regarding the similarities between the clinical groups, although there is partial support for the idea that the clinical groups interpreted somatic symptoms differently; however, this is tentative. Overall, the results provide support for the continuum model of psychosis and Morrison’s theory that people who experience panic and those who experience delusions process internal events in a similar way. These results also inadvertently suggest that anomalous internal experiences may be necessary in order for delusional beliefs to occur.
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