PLACEBO-RESPONSE IN THE TREATMENT OF PANIC DISORDER

A review of key placebo-controlled studies of benzodiazepines and sele ctive serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) over the past decade chall enges the widespread view that placebo response rates resulting from c linical trials of pharmacotherapy for panic disorder are excessively h igh. Statistically and clinically significant drug-placebo differences have been demonstrated in large-scale trials. Further research is nee ded on the impact of pharmacological treatments on the medium- and lon g-term course of the disorder.