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 .
Agoraphobics 5 Years after Imipramine and Exposure: Outcome and Predictors
Five years after treatment in a controlled trial , in which all had received self-exposure homework , a group of 40 agoraphobic out patients retained marked improvement in agoraphobia , mood , and free-floating anxiety . Frequency of spontaneous panics decreased as much in those who had placebo and self-exposure as in those who received imipramine and self-exposure . Few patients , however , were completely well at 5 years and over half had received further treatment for agoraphobia during the follow-up . Patients who were still highly phobic at the end of the clinical trial were more often prescribed psychotropic medication during follow-up and remained phobic at 5 years . Phobic improvement had generalized more in those patients with very low than in those with moderate pretreatment Hamilton depression scores . Frequency of initial spontaneous panics did not predict outcome . Improvement in agoraphobia was associated with improved marital adjustment . Those who began with the best marital , work , and social adjustment were more improved in their phobias 5 years later
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 .