Efficacy of internet therapy for panic disorder

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Behavioral Science
• Health Technology

Background:

• Panic disorder (PD) significantly impacts patient well-being and healthcare utilization.
• Effective and accessible treatments for panic disorder are crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the efficacy of internet-based cognitive behavioral panic treatment (CBT) with therapist-assisted CBT manual and an information-only control group.
• To evaluate treatment outcomes for panic disorder symptomatology, cognitions, affect, and healthcare usage.

Main Methods:

• Randomized controlled trial involving 55 participants with panic disorder.
• Interventions included internet-based CBT (email contact), therapist-assisted CBT manual (telephone contact), and an information-only control (telephone contact).
• Assessments included panic symptomatology, panic-related cognition, negative affect, clinician-rated agoraphobia, GP visits, and physical health ratings.

Main Results:

• Both internet-based CBT and therapist-assisted CBT were more effective than the control in reducing PD symptoms, improving health ratings, and decreasing GP visits.
• Internet-based CBT demonstrated greater efficacy than the CBT manual in reducing clinician-rated agoraphobia and GP visits post-treatment.
• These improvements were maintained at follow-up, with internet-based CBT showing continued advantages in physical health ratings and reduced GP visits.

Conclusions:

• Internet-based CBT is an effective treatment for panic disorder, comparable and in some aspects superior to therapist-assisted CBT.
• This study supports the integration of internet-delivered interventions for mental health conditions like panic disorder.