Comparison of Psychotherapy Programs to Treat Panic Disorder

This study will determine the relative effectiveness of three psychotherapies in treating people with a panic disorder.

Panic disorder (PD) is a debilitating anxiety disorder. It is characterized by unexpected and repeated episodes of intense fear, accompanied by serious physical symptoms, such as chest pain, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, dizziness, or abdominal stress. Available treatments for PD include medication therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), a type of psychotherapy that teaches people how to view panic attacks differently and how to reduce anxiety. Approximately 30% of patients refuse medication, however, and nearly 50% do not achieve remission with CBT alone. Therefore, there is a pressing need for additional non-pharmacologic treatment methods. Panic-focused psychodynamic psychotherapy (PFPP) and applied relaxation training (ART) are among some of the other available treatments for PD. During ART, individuals are taught to relax their muscles while being exposed to increasingly frightening situations. PFPP combines elements of CBT with other, more extensive approaches aimed at determining the anxiety's origin and at finding ways to reduce it. This study will compare the effectiveness of PFPP, CBT, and ART in treating PD. Participants in this single blind study will be randomly assigned to receive PFPP, CBT, or ART for 12 weeks. All participants will attend between 19 and 24 treatment sessions over the course of the study. Upon completing the study, participants will attend monthly follow-up visits for an additional 12 months. Participants assigned to ART who have not responded by the end of treatment may opt to receive PFPP or CBT. Outcomes will be assessed using a variety of scales to determine depression and anxiety symptoms.

Level of psychosocial functional impairment. highest value=30, lowest value =0, higher numbers indicate greater dysfunction

Anxiety disorder sensitivity index measures Sensitivity to physical symptoms of anxiety (scores range from 0-64). 0= no anxiety, 64 =maximum anxiety

The BBSIQ measures how physically sensitive the person is to physical symptoms of anxiety; (scores range 0-63) 0= no anxiety; 63= highest levels of physical anxiety

Inclusion Criteria: Meets DSM-IV diagnosis criteria for primary PD with or without agoraphobia History of at least one spontaneous panic attack per week within the month prior to study entry Exclusion Criteria: Active substance dependence within 6 months prior to study entry Lifetime history of any psychotic disorder, including bipolar disorder Acutely suicidal

Milrod B, Leon AC, Busch F, Rudden M, Schwalberg M, Clarkin J, Aronson A, Singer M, Turchin W, Klass ET, Graf E, Teres JJ, Shear MK. A randomized controlled clinical trial of psychoanalytic psychotherapy for panic disorder. Am J Psychiatry. 2007 Feb;164(2):265-72. doi: 10.1176/ajp.2007.164.2.265. Erratum In: Am J Psychiatry. 2007 Jul;164(7):1123. Am J Psychiatry. 2007 Mar;164(3):529.

Milrod BL, Leon AC, Barber JP, Markowitz JC, Graf E. Do comorbid personality disorders moderate panic-focused psychotherapy? An exploratory examination of the American Psychiatric Association practice guideline. J Clin Psychiatry. 2007 Jun;68(6):885-91. doi: 10.4088/jcp.v68n0610.

Milrod B, Chambless DL, Gallop R, Busch FN, Schwalberg M, McCarthy KS, Gross C, Sharpless BA, Leon AC, Barber JP. Psychotherapies for Panic Disorder: A Tale of Two Sites. J Clin Psychiatry. 2016 Jul;77(7):927-35. doi: 10.4088/JCP.14m09507.

Keefe JR, Chambless DL, Barber JP, Milrod BL. Predictors and moderators of treatment dropout in cognitive-behavioral and psychodynamic therapies for panic disorder. Psychother Res. 2021 Apr;31(4):432-442. doi: 10.1080/10503307.2020.1784487. Epub 2020 Jun 25.

Barber JP, Milrod B, Gallop R, Solomonov N, Rudden MG, McCarthy KS, Chambless DL. Processes of therapeutic change: Results from the Cornell-Penn Study of Psychotherapies for Panic Disorder. J Couns Psychol. 2020 Mar;67(2):222-231. doi: 10.1037/cou0000417.

Keefe JR, Huque ZM, DeRubeis RJ, Barber JP, Milrod BL, Chambless DL. In-session emotional expression predicts symptomatic and panic-specific reflective functioning improvements in panic-focused psychodynamic psychotherapy. Psychotherapy (Chic). 2019 Dec;56(4):514-525. doi: 10.1037/pst0000215. Epub 2019 Mar 14.

Solomonov N, Falkenstrom F, Gorman BS, McCarthy KS, Milrod B, Rudden MG, Chambless DL, Barber JP. Differential effects of alliance and techniques on Panic-Specific Reflective Function and misinterpretation of bodily sensations in two treatments for panic. Psychother Res. 2020 Jan;30(1):97-111. doi: 10.1080/10503307.2019.1585591. Epub 2019 Mar 1.

Suarez-Jimenez B, Zhu X, Lazarov A, Mann JJ, Schneier F, Gerber A, Barber JP, Chambless DL, Neria Y, Milrod B, Markowitz JC. Anterior hippocampal volume predicts affect-focused psychotherapy outcome. Psychol Med. 2020 Feb;50(3):396-402. doi: 10.1017/S0033291719000187. Epub 2019 Feb 18.

McCarthy KS, Chambless DL, Solomonov N, Milrod B, Barber JP. Twelve-Month Outcomes Following Successful Panic-Focused Psychodynamic Psychotherapy, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, or Applied Relaxation Training for Panic Disorder. J Clin Psychiatry. 2018 Sep 11;79(5):17m11807. doi: 10.4088/JCP.17m11807.

Solomonov N, McCarthy KS, Gorman BS, Barber JP. The Multitheoretical List of Therapeutic Interventions - 30 items (MULTI-30). Psychother Res. 2019 Jul;29(5):565-580. doi: 10.1080/10503307.2017.1422216. Epub 2018 Jan 16.