ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of findings showing the profound impact of negative affectivity on the perception and the neural processing of dyspnea. High anxiety levels might prevent habituation or even induce sensitization to the unpleasantness of dyspnea, which can potentially interfere with treatments or self-management of dyspnea, whereas exposure to repeated dyspnea in a controlled, safe setting might reduce the unpleasantness of dyspnea. Anxiety, depression, and panic are prevalent comorbidities in respiratory diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and are commonly found to be associated with an unfavorable course of these diseases. The perception of the respiratory sensation becomes more dependent on parallel emotional arousal than on the neural processing of the stimulus. The high individual and socioeconomic burden associated with anxiety, depression, and panic as well as the additional negative impact of these symptoms on the course of asthma and COPD clearly necessitates appropriate treatments.
