Psychotherapy of Panic Disorder: Revisiting Past and Present Research and Moving toward Future Directions

Abstract

Panic disorder is one of the most debilitating mental disorders. Therefore, it is necessary to apply treatments for this problem to eliminate the disability of patients. Both psychotherapy and medication have been shown to reduce the frequency and severity of panic attacks and panic disorder. In this chapter, we first mentioned cognitive-behavioral therapy as the cornerstone of psychotherapy for panic disorder and then, medication as one of the most common treatments for this disorder. Cognitive-behavioral therapy has been found by numerous studies to be the most important psychotherapy for panic attacks and panic disorder. Medication is another effective treatment because some medications can be very helpful in managing the symptoms of a panic attack as well as anxiety and depression. Finally, emotion regulation therapies for the treatment of panic disorder will be introduced and explained for the first time.

Biological and cognitive theories explaining panic disorder: A narrative review

“…This paper reviews theories describing the etiology of PD which have relevance for our understanding of this common debilitating disorder and its treatment. The last review on theories explaining panic disorder was published over 10 years ago ( 3 ) and, while effective treatments for PD exist ( 4 ), there remains room for improvement ( 5 ) in outcomes. This paper undertakes a narrative review examining and summarizing the major approaches to understanding PD and frameworks for its treatment.…”