Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

Several kinds of evidence indicate that there are important psychological causes of panic disorder as well as the biological causes that have been demonstrated by others. These psychological causes are fears that physical symptoms of anxiety will be followed by an immediate medical emergency: for example, that palpitations will be followed by a heart attack. Evidence is presented to show (a) that such fears are more frequent among panic disorder patients than other anxious patients; (b) that activating the fears can produce panic; and (c) that reducing the fears can attenuate the effects of procedures that produce panic. For panic disorder, cognitive therapy, which reduces these specific fears, gives results comparable to those of imipramine and alprazolam. If further research confirms that these therapeutic effects of cognitive therapy are sustained well beyond the end of treatment, cognitive therapy could be the treatment of choice for panic disorder.

Type

Journal article

Journal

J Psychiatr Res

Publication Date

1993

Volume

27 Suppl 1

Pages

171 - 178

Keywords

Alprazolam, Arousal, Clinical Trials as Topic, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Humans, Imipramine, Panic Disorder