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Emotion-focused psychotherapy for patients with panic disorder.
1Anxiety Disorders Prevention Program, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, PA, USA. shearmk@msx.umpc.edu
The American Journal of Psychiatry
|December 1, 2001
Summary
Emotion-focused psychotherapy showed low efficacy for panic disorder, performing similarly to placebo. However, it demonstrated a higher patient completion rate compared to cognitive behavior therapy or imipramine treatments.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Clinical Psychology
Background:
- Many panic disorder patients receive psychotherapy other than cognitive behavior therapy (CBT).
- Limited data exists on the efficacy of non-CBT psychotherapies compared to established treatments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the efficacy of emotion-focused psychotherapy (EFP) against CBT and imipramine for panic disorder.
- To evaluate EFP against a placebo control group.
Main Methods:
- 30 patients with panic disorder received EFP.
- Comparisons were made with CBT (N=36), imipramine (N=22), and placebo (N=24).
- Treatments lasted approximately 3 months, followed by maintenance and a 6-month follow-up.
Main Results:
- EFP was less effective than CBT or imipramine for panic disorder symptoms.
- EFP outcomes were comparable to placebo after acute and maintenance phases.
- Patients receiving EFP had the highest treatment completion rate.
Conclusions:
- Emotion-focused psychotherapy appears to have low efficacy for treating panic disorder.
- EFP may improve treatment adherence compared to medical management.