Aim. The author examined psychiatrically a group of 106 patients with difficult asthma and 100 patients with aspirin-induced asthma. Method. 106 consecutive adults with confirmed, physician-diagnosed difficult asthma and 100 patients with aspirin-induced asthma underwent a psychiatric interview and assessment using M.I.N.I 5.0, Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Panic And Agoraphobia Scale (PAS). Psychiatric assessment was performed by an experienced liaison psychiatrist according to ICD-10 and DSM-IV diagnosis. In the difficult asthma group there were 78 women (74%) and 28 men (26%). The average age was 51.3 (SD=14.5) for women and 47.5 (SD=12.7) for men. In aspirin induced asthma group there were 66 women (66%) and 34 men (34%). The average age was 52.7 (SD=12.3) for women and 48.8 (SD=13.0) for men. Results. In difficult asthma both panic and depressive symptoms were statistically much more severe than in aspirin-induced asthma. Comorbidity between panic and depressive symptoms was almost equal in women and men with difficult asthma, but in aspirin-induced asthma, comorbidity was more common among women than men. Panic-depression comorbidity is regarded as a predictor of especially severe course and outcome of psychiatric disorder. Conclusions. It is possible that especially severe panic and depressive symptoms both with panic-depression comorbidity in women and men with difficult asthma have an impact on aethiology of this near-fatal and treatment resistant subtype of asthma.