CBT for Panic Disorder in a CMHC Setting

Barlow's cognitive-behavioral approach to treating panic disorder has been supported by quite a few efficacy studies. In order to determine if the results observed in efficacy studies apply to real-life clinical practice, Wade, Treat, and Stuart (1998) compared the results of CBT for panic disorder provided in a CMHC setting with the results of two efficacy studies. The subjects were 110 clients with a primary diagnosis of panic disorder with or without agoraphobia; clients were not excluded from the study on the basis of medication use, severity, age, or presence of agoraphobia. Noteworthy results include:

• Despite differences in settings, clients, and treatment providers, treatment provided in a CMHC setting produced results comparable to results obtained in efficacy studies.
• 26.4% of the CMHC clients failed to complete treatment. (This is a lower attrition rate than reported in a number of studies of CMHC populations)
• Treatment completers were significantly older and had more education. They reported more long-standing panic and agoraphobic symptoms and fewer depressive symptoms. Treatment completers were significantly less likely to have additional Axis I diagnoses than non-completers.
• 87% of CMHC clients who completed treatment were panic-free at the end of treatment.
• Clients also showed significant reductions in anticipatory anxiety, agoraphobic avoidance, generalized anxiety, and depression.

Wade, W. A., Treat, T. A., & Stuart, G. L. (1998). Transporting an empirically supported treatment for panic disorder to a service clinic setting: A benchmarking strategy. Journal of Clinical and Consulting Psychology, 66, 231-239.

Replies:

There are no replies to this message.

| Behavior OnLine Home Page | Disclaimer |

Copyright © 1996-2004 Behavior OnLine, Inc. All rights reserved.