Effects of cognitive-behavioral treatment on panic disorder

• Main Author: Prince, Mary
• Format: Others
• Published: DigitalCommons@Robert W. Woodruff Library, Atlanta University Center 1994
• Subjects: Social Work
• Online Access: http://digitalcommons.auctr.edu/dissertations/2761; http://digitalcommons.auctr.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4268&context=dissertations

The effectiveness of an integrated treatment program utilizing group-administered cognitive-behavioral therapies for panic disorder was examined. Treatment was based upon the cognitive model of panic disorder. Subjects meeting the DSM-III-R criteria for panic disorder received six 1.5 hour sessions of outpatient group therapy over an 8-week period. Subjects were given an extensive rationale of the deve1opment and maintenance of panic disorder, breathing retraining, progressive relaxation training, cognitive therapy to identify and modify maladaptive beliefs and dysfunctional cognitive schemas, as well as training in imagery desensitization. An assessment battery which included measures of panic, anxiety, depression, self-esteem, and self-efficacy was given at pre-and post-treatment and at 1-and 2-month follow-up. All subjects were free of spontaneous panic attacks at post-treatment, and 50 percent of subjects showed improvement in the areas of anxiety, depression, and self-efficacy.