GROUP VS INDIVIDUAL COGNITIVE-BEHAVIOR THERAPY IN PANIC DISORDER - ANOPEN CLINICAL-TRIAL WITH A 6 MONTH FOLLOW-UP

Panic with or without agoraphobia (PD/A) is an often incapacitating an d chronic disorder. Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) has been shown t o be effective in reducing panic frequency and intensity in PD/A. Howe ver, the effect of treatment modality (group vs individual) on the eff icacy of CBT is unclear. Twenty patients meeting DSM-III-R criteria fo r PD/A were treated, by the same therapist, with either group (CBTgr) or individual (CBTi) CBT and followed monthly for six months post trea tment. Both CBTgr and CBTi significantly (and to the same extent) redu ced panic frequency at treatment end. However, a differential effect f avouring CBTi over CBTgr was observed with regards symptoms other than panic, such as generalized anxiety-like and depressive symptoms. This , differential effect favouring CBTi was also observed at the end of t he follow-up phase, where outcome was measured as the number of patien ts maintaining remission.