After the acute phase treatment , as long as the drug was continued , the superiority of the combination over either monotherapy appeared to persist .
BACKGROUND Panic disorder can be treated with pharmacotherapy , psychotherapy or in combination , but the relative merits of combined therapy have not been well established .
OBJECTIVES To review evidence concerning short- and long-term advantages and disadvantages of combined psychotherapy plus antidepressant treatment for panic disorder with or without agoraphobia , in comparison with either therapy alone .
Phenelzine and exposure in the treatment of phobias.
A double-blind study was carried out on 40 agoraphobic and socially phobic patients , matched , then r and omly assigned to one of four treatment groups ; phenelzine-exposure , phenelzine-no exposure , placebo-exposure , and placebo-no exposure . Exposure consisted of encouraging the patient to face the phobic situation a predetermined number of times . Assessment s , made at the beginning and end of 8 weeks of therapy and 8 weeks thereafter , showed that the phobia ratings of groups decreased significantly . The combined exposure group improved significantly more than the combined no exposure group during treatment . At 8 weeks follow-up there was some deterioration in the phenelzine-exposure and placebo-no exposure groups . Exposure , with or without phenelzine , was the superior treatment modality . The antiphobic effect of phenelzine was not supported , although it seemed to reduce subjective anxiety during exposure experiences . The possibility that effect of phenelzine is dose-related is discussed
After the acute phase treatment , as long as the drug was continued , the superiority of the combination over either monotherapy appeared to persist .
BACKGROUND Panic disorder can be treated with pharmacotherapy , psychotherapy or in combination , but the relative merits of combined therapy have not been well established .
OBJECTIVES To review evidence concerning short- and long-term advantages and disadvantages of combined psychotherapy plus antidepressant treatment for panic disorder with or without agoraphobia , in comparison with either therapy alone .