Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy in Adolescents With Panic Disorder: A Twelve-Week Follow-Up Study

Abstract

The aim of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) treatment in adolescents with panic disorder (PD). This follow-up study consists of 30 adolescents with PD without agoraphobia, aged 14–17 (15.53 ± .97). They were evaluated with Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children Present, also the Panic and Agoraphobia Scale (PAS) and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) were administered at baseline, at the end of the 4th and 12th weeks of treatment. EMDR therapy which is an eight-phase treatment approach composed of standardized protocols and procedures was applied for 12 weeks, one session per week. The baseline mean of the total PAS score decreased from 40.06 to 13.13 at fourth week and 1.2 at the end of 12th week of treatment. In addition, BAI score decreased significantly from 33.67 to 13.83 at 4 weeks and 5.31 at the end of 12th week of treatment. Overall, our results underscore the effectiveness of EMDR in adolescents with PD. Moreover, the current study suggests that EMDR may represent an effective intervention technique for PD in adolescents to protect against relapses and to overcome a fear of future attacks.

EMDR Flash Technique in adolescents with depression: A twelve-week follow-up study

“…Also, of the 19 studies included in the review, 15 reported providing six or fewer sessions of EMDR (mean = 2.28 sessions), with five of these studies providing only one EMDR session. Another study that includes adolescents with panic disorder also indicated significant improvement in adolescents with panic disorder at the end of the fourth week of EMDR (Inci Izmir et al, 2023). These previous studies showed that short therapy sessions could be effective.…”