Plain language summary
Both standard and short-term cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) have been shown to be effective in the treatment of panic disorder (PD). The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of a mindfulness-based brief CBT, in particular, with respect to physiological symptoms, like palpitations and accelerated heart rate, and factors that may help predict treatment outcome. Treatment consisted of psychoeducation about the condition and teaching meditation/relaxation techniques. CBT was delivered once a week over a four week period (a total of four sessions). Several self-assessed scales were used to determine outcome and efficacy. The four week intervention showed statistically significant improvements on almost all scores. The results suggest that fear of cardiovascular (CV) symptoms may be an important predictor of the clinical course of PD. The authors concluded that managing fear of CV symptoms can help improve effectiveness of brief CBT and that short-term CBT may be particularly effective for patients who suffered from CV symptoms. The study was limited by the fact that there was no control group and that participants had relatively mild PD symptoms and may therefore not have been representative of the PD patient population as a whole.
Abstract
Numerous studies have provided evidence for the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) on panic disorders (PDs). There has also been growing attention on brief CBT with regard to delivering intensive treatment efficiently. This study investigated the essential parts of mindfulness-based brief CBT to optimize treatment benefits.A total of 37 patients were retrospectively enrolled in this study. They were recruited from the anxiety/panic/fear clinic of Seoul National University Hospital. The patients participated in group CBT once a week for a total of 4 sessions over a 4-week period, when they were assessed using the Panic Disorder Severity Scale (PDSS), Anxiety Sensitivity Index-Revised (ASI-R), Albany Panic and Phobia Questionnaire (APPQ), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) before and after brief CBT. Twenty-nine patients completed the 1-month follow-up.There were significant reductions in PDSS (P < .001), ASI-R-fear of respiratory symptoms (P = .006), ASI-R-fear of publicly observable anxiety reaction (P = .002), ASI-R-fear of cardiovascular symptoms (P < .001), ASI-R-fear of cognitive dyscontrol (P = .001), ASI-R-Total (P < .001), APPQ-Agoraphobia (P = .003), APPQ-Total (P = .028), STAI-State anxiety (P < .001), STAI-Trait anxiety (P = .002), BAI (P = .003), and BDI (P < .001) scores. We also found significant associations between ASI-R-fear of cardiovascular symptoms, ASI-R-Total, and changes in PDSS scores. A stepwise multiple linear regression analysis indicated that anxiety sensitivity for fear of cardiovascular symptoms predicted an improvement in panic severity (β = 0.513, P = .004).Our findings suggested that behavioral aspects, especially physiological symptom control, needed to be considered in brief, intensive CBT for PD. The results also suggested that a mindfulness-based brief CBT approach might be particularly helpful for patients with PD who have severe cardiovascular symptoms.
Methodological quality
Jadad score
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0
Allocation concealment
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Not applicable
