A Digital Therapeutic Intervention Delivering Biofeedback for Panic Attacks (PanicMechanic): Feasibility and...

Area of Science:

• Digital therapeutics
• Mental health technology
• Mobile health interventions

Background:

• Panic attacks (PAs) are a common, impairing mental health condition affecting over 11% of adults annually.
• The episodic nature of PAs makes them difficult to study and treat effectively.
• Predicting the onset and location of PAs presents significant challenges for individuals and clinicians.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce PanicMechanic, a novel mobile health application designed for real-time PA monitoring and biofeedback.
• To assess the utility of PanicMechanic as an intervention for panic attacks.
• To gather data on the physiological and psychological characteristics of panic attacks in a real-world setting.

Main Methods:

• Utilized PanicMechanic to collect data on 148 panic attacks from 50 users, creating the largest dataset of real-world PAs.
• Conducted a pilot study with 18 participants to evaluate PanicMechanic's effectiveness as a PA intervention.
• Collected heart rate variability data and user-reported anxiety levels during panic attacks.

Main Results:

• Heart rate during panic attacks fluctuated by approximately 15 bpm, returning to baseline in about 30 seconds.
• Anxiety ratings decreased consistently during attacks, despite approximately 4 heart rate cycles per attack.
• Health-related thoughts were the most frequent trigger, with lifestyle factors like stress, sleep, and diet potentially contributing.

Conclusions:

• PanicMechanic demonstrated feasibility, with suggestions for improvement including app modifications and wearable integration.
• A significant majority of participants (94%) found the app useful and would recommend it for managing panic attacks.
• Further research, including a controlled trial, is warranted to establish the efficacy of this digital therapeutic for panic attack prevention.