EFFECT OF PERSONALITY-DISORDERS ON RESPONSE TO BEHAVIORAL-COGNITIVE THERAPY OF PANIC DISORDER WITH AGORAPHOBIA

This study measures the effect of personality disorders on the efficac y of treatment of agoraphobia. Forty-one patients suffering from panic disorder with agoraphobia are evaluated for the presence of a persona lity disorder (according to DSM-III-R criteria) before the onset of tr eatment. The treatment consists in 14 sessions of behavioural cognitiv e therapy. Various measures of agoraphobic avoidance are obtained befo re (pre-test) and after the end of treatment (post-test, three month f ollow-up). Effect of treatment reaches statistical and clinical signif icance for all patients. Grouping of patients according to presence or absence of personality disorder shows no significant difference betwe en the groups before or after treatment on scores of agoraphobia. A su bgroup of patients with dependent personality disorder does not differ on measures of agoraphobic avoidance from patients without personalit y disorders or with other personality disorders. The discussion points out methodological limitations, differences in our study from other s tudies regarding the effect of personality on the treatment outcome of panic disorder with agoraphobia, as well as possibilities for future studies.