In this day and age when most people are more or less informed about the conditions they have to go through, thanks in large part to the fountain of knowledge we call the internet, a panic attack episode has lost its aura of mystery. Whereas before, when an anxiety attack transpires, people would feel alarmed and confused, nowadays they can simply conduct a quick research on the internet to discover what, exactly, is causing what they’re feeling. This is, of course, a good thing. Access to accurate research materials will result in the early diagnosis – and treatment – of the condition, as well as the proper orientation of correct precautions to take when such a panic attack episode is indeed ongoing.
One of the things that people who have done their research have surely encountered are anxiety scales.
Basically, anxiety scales are questionnaires that seek to determine the severity of a particular panic attack episode. These questionnaires are usually facilitated by another person, however, they can also be carried out by the subject himself in the absence of another party.
These anxiety scales contain a variety of items. The severity of each item is to be measured by the subject (or the person observing the subject) in a scale of 0 to 4, where 0 means the non-existence of the item, and 4 means the most severe state of the same. When the gravity of all the items have been measured, their respective values will be collated and the total value will be compared to a score table that will dictate the actual severity of the panic attack episode that’s being observed. The level of severity ranges from mild, to moderate, to severe.
There are 2 widely used anxiety scales: the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HARS) and the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). Their structures are similar and their purpose is one and the same: to help the subject determine how serious the panic attack episode he is experiencing actually is.
Which of these 2 popular anxiety scales is more accurate?
Many people seem to agree that the Beck Anxiety Inventory is the better choice, for the following reasons:
- The BAI contains a more comprehensive number of items that the subject must observe, 21, as opposed to the HARS’ 14-item scale. More points of evaluation means better chances of a more accurate assessment.
- The BAI was actually designed to be a self-questionnaire. Indeed, another person may conduct the interview and do the observations required by the system, but of the 2 popular anxiety scales, the BAI is the one that is really meant for the subject to answer himself.
- The BAI, if implemented the way it should be implemented (i.e. as a self-questionnaire), would yield more accurate observations as the subject himself will be evaluating his own feelings and condition.
If both the popular anxiety scales are available for you during an episode of a panic attack, then choose the Beck Anxiety Inventory for the reasons mentioned above.
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