Nb. Schmidt et al., EFFICACY OF A BRIEF PSYCHOSOCIAL TREATMENT FOR PANIC DISORDER IN AN ACTIVE-DUTY SAMPLE - IMPLICATIONS FOR MILITARY READINESS, Military medicine, 162(2), 1997, pp. 123-129
Objective: The efficacy of a brief cognitive-behavioral treatment for
panic in military personnel was evaluated. Method: Active duty militar
y patients (N = 37) presenting at outpatient psychiatry and psychology
clinics were randomly assigned to immediate or delayed treatment cond
itions. All patients met Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental D
isorders criteria for a primary diagnosis of panic disorder with or wi
thout agoraphobia. Results: At posttreatment, 80% of the immediate tre
atment group, compared to 0% of the delayed treatment group, met recov
ery criteria on all major clinical facets of panic disorder (i.e., pan
ic attacks, panic-related worry, phobic avoidance). At follow-up, 75%
of the treated group continued to meet recovery criteria, suggesting m
aintenance of treatment gains. A majority of those patients (58%) taki
ng benzodiazepines at the start of treatment were successfully discont
inued by posttreatment. Conclusions: Brief, skill-based treatments for
panic disorder are effective for a majority of active duty personnel.
These treatments may also improve military readiness by facilitating
benzodiazepine discontinuation.