Solving panic disorder problems. When your patients' fears thwart their lives

All in all, panic disorder with or without agoraphobia is a very satisfying illness to treat. Most patients enter treatment with considerable pain and disability and within a few weeks to months are free of panic attacks, no longer fearful of them, and no longer phobic. Panic disorder must be distinguished from generalized anxiety, and signs of agoraphobia must be sought during the initial diagnosis. Drug therapy is effective for panic disorder, while agoraphobia may respond to drug therapy or to a range of cognitive therapies.