The review established the paucity of high quality evidence investigating the efficacy of psychotherapy combined with benzodiazepines for panic disorder .
Currently , there is inadequate evidence to assess the clinical effects of psychotherapy combined with benzodiazepines for patients who are diagnosed with panic disorder
BACKGROUND The efficacy of combining psychotherapy and benzodiazepines for panic disorder is unclear , despite widespread use .
OBJECTIVES To examine the efficacy of the combination compared with either treatment alone .
Pre-treatment predictors of treatment outcome in panic disorder and agoraphobia treated with alprazolam and exposure.
Pre-treatment predictors of treatment outcome were examined in a group of 144 patients with panic disorder and agoraphobia r and omly allocated to alprazolam+exposure ( AE ) , placebo+exposure ( PE ) , alprazolam+relaxation ( AR ) , and placebo+relaxation ( PR ) . First-time psychotropic medication use , severity of agoraphobic disability , and longer duration of illness predicted less global improvement at post-treatment . Pre-treatment severity of agoraphobia predicted less improvement both in the short- and the long-term . Predictors of poorer outcome at 6-month follow-up were older age , past history of depression , severity of phobia targets , and longer duration of illness . Sex , source of referral , pre-treatment depression-anxiety-panic , and expectancy from treatment did not relate to outcome
The review established the paucity of high quality evidence investigating the efficacy of psychotherapy combined with benzodiazepines for panic disorder .
Currently , there is inadequate evidence to assess the clinical effects of psychotherapy combined with benzodiazepines for patients who are diagnosed with panic disorder
BACKGROUND The efficacy of combining psychotherapy and benzodiazepines for panic disorder is unclear , despite widespread use .
OBJECTIVES To examine the efficacy of the combination compared with either treatment alone .