Am J Psychiatry 1987; 144:1160-1165
Copyright © 1987 by American Psychiatric Association
Behavioral aspects of panic disorder
IM Marks
The behavioral approach to panic disorder distinguishes between agoraphobia
and nonsituational panic and emphasizes the handicap to the patient caused
by avoidance of agoraphobic situations. Agoraphobia is a more viable label
than panic disorder. Behavioral treatment consists of delineating the
patient's agoraphobic avoidance and panic profile and developing a
self-exposure program to produce habituation. Systematic exposure to
agoraphobic situations is usually of durable efficacy, and the treatment
requires little time from clinicians. Antidepressant drugs, which do not
interfere with exposure, are a useful addition when dysphoria is present,
but they can have troublesome side effects.
